(Hai Fe) Following the many addresses published on the Hai Fe website about the state of the drainage infrastructure and preparations for the winter, councilors Raja Zaatara and Fachar Bayadsi from the Hadash movement now also want to know how the Haifa municipality is prepared for the winter of 2024-2025.
The approaching winter of 2024-2025 poses another challenge to the Haifa municipality, which is in the midst of a renewed examination of the state of the drainage infrastructure in the city. City Council members Raja Zaatara and Fachar Byadsi from the Hadash faction raised a query in the council, seeking to know how the municipality plans to deal with the challenges facing it for the coming season. The two want to state the degree of preparation in the field of operations, welfare, public inquiries, and cooperation with the rescue agencies .
As part of the submitted query, the members of the council raise several key questions:
- What is the state of the drainage infrastructure in Haifa today and what is their ability to deal with heavy rains?
- Are there forecasts predicting flooding in certain areas of the city?
- What are the conclusions drawn from the flooding events in recent years?
Zaatra and Bayadesi demand to receive a breakdown of the works and projects carried out in the field of drainage in the years 2019-2024, including the list of places and the costs allocated for this purpose, as well as to hear whether there is a multi-year plan for the development of the infrastructure or a specific work plan for 2025.
In recent years, there have been several serious incidents of flooding in the city of Haifa, when streets, neighborhoods and main roads were flooded as a result of heavy rain systems. According to Zaatra and Bayadsi, according to the forecasts of the Meteorological Service of the Ministry of Transportation, the coming winter is expected to be accompanied by powerful rain systems, which include strong rain showers for a short time with intensities of tens of millimeters per hour - a situation that could lead to severe flooding in certain areas of the city.
Climate change and unpredictable meteorological systems are straining the city's drainage systems, which were designed according to old statistical measures based on less rainfall. The challenging topographic structure of Haifa, which includes both high and low areas, exacerbates the problem, as the water tends to concentrate in the low places and create flooding in sensitive areas.
Now, with the arrival of winter, the eyes of the residents are on the municipality in the hope of seeing a proper preparation that will prevent serious malfunctions and provide an effective response to prevent flooding.
The collapse of the end of the road on Halutzi Ha-Indusiya St. in Haifa November 2023 ► Watch
The glands are ready,
for the annual cruise in Canal San Masada,
Photographs of vehicles, level above the wheels,
Who is responsible? Everyone rolls.
Every year the same cloud broke -
Haven't seen him in years.
And every staircase turns into waterfalls.
We could not have predicted, it was not expected,
And someone drowned in that passage
where someone drowned, also last winter.
The city of Haifa fell asleep a long time ago. It is in a coma (floor) and it needs a good and brave person to wake it up strongly. Not gently!! start to wake up the brain and move to other parts. Soon nowadays, Amen!
In Israel, most of the receivers receive preventive works in the summer months, so most of them are ready to receive the rainwater that flows into the sea. In my opinion, there are several critical places that should receive a more in-depth priority, such as the Kalbar on IDF Street and Allenby and El Hanan Street in Carmel.