Young Journalists Club; Zahra Rezaei- Omani, the Deputy of Urban Services of Birjand Municipality, said: About 200 urban services personnel, together with 30 light and heavy machinery units and 20 pumps and generators, will be on alert to deal with possible flooding during the autumn rainfalls.
He added: In order to prevent street flooding, the dredging of canals and floodways has been put on the agenda, and the Pol-Bagh Canal between Pirouzi Street and Shahid Avini Boulevard, the Pol-Bagh Canal between Moallem Street and Imam Shahid Khamenei Square, and the Kabutarkhan Canal between the Musa ibn Jafar (AS) Bridge and the Shahroud Bridge have been dredged.
Omani said: Among the points that faced flooding problems in the rainfalls of past years are the area at the beginning of Mehrshahr, the School-Building Benefactors Square, and Canal 14 between Azad University and Bahman Street.
The Deputy of Urban Services of Birjand Municipality continued: To resolve the flooding problems, a canal has been built at the end of Enqelab 5 Street with the aim of collecting the surface water of this area, which faced problems every year.
He stated: Building a water channel, collecting worn asphalt and re-asphalting Zakariya Razi Street opposite Valiasr Hospital (AJ), and building a surface water disposal canal in Elahiyeh Street, between Elahiyeh Square and Emamiyeh, are among the other measures taken in this regard.
Referring to the resolution of most of the problems of flood-prone points, Omani stated: Currently about 5 to 6 points still need correction and attention.
Regarding the equipment and forces on alert, the Deputy of Urban Services of Birjand Municipality said: About 200 urban services personnel, 30 light and heavy machinery units including loaders, mini loaders, backhoe excavators, tractors, trucks and Nissan pickups, and also 20 equipment units including submersible and sludge pumps and generators, have been considered for managing possible conditions arising from rainfall.
He added: Operational teams have been designated in 2 districts of the city and will be on alert together with the required equipment. The machinery is also ready for activity at the municipality's transport depot so that, if crisis conditions are announced, they can be dispatched to the needed points in the shortest possible time.
Omani said: Urban services supervisors and officials have also been designated to deal with possible problems, and emergency cases are communicated via the wireless network so that the necessary measures to resolve the problems are taken with maximum capacity.
Referring to the municipality's plans to reduce possible flooding, the Deputy of Urban Services of Birjand Municipality stated: Studies of the problematic and flood-prone points are being carried out, and after review, executive operations to improve the direction of surface water will begin.
He continued: Owners who, in the course of construction, have blocked water channels have also been given the necessary warning to free the path of the channels.
Omani considered the dredging of the canals and floodways of Birjand and the planning for the timely presence of forces at flooding sites among the municipality's most important measures for reducing the problems caused by autumn rainfalls.
The Deputy of Urban Services of Birjand Municipality said in closing: Around the clock, citizens can contact Birjand Municipality via the 137 system to report street flooding and problems caused by rainfall.
