People cautioned against stepping into rainwater filled wadis, pools

Muscat: People who plan on taking a swim in wadis and bodies of water caused due to the recent rains across parts of the country are risking severe injury, the Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority has warned.

Although the water might look calm on the surface, it is a completely different proposition
underneath.

The heavy flooding caused by the rainfall has brought with it plenty of debris, including broken glass bottles, rusted and jagged pieces of metal, which could hurt people who step on, or come into contact with them.

The waters also bring wildlife that could pose a threat. These include snakes, which are often difficult to perceive both above and below the surface, as well as many types of fish, which could be carnivorous, not to mention insects that might be poisonous.

This is in addition to the sharp rocks littering the beds of many of these bodies of water, which could also cause injuries, serious bleeding, and other medical complications if not attended to on time.
Teams from the CDAA continue to comb rain affected areas to remove debris, and make them safe for people and animals.

However, warnings continue to be issued to people, requesting them to stay away from areas prone to flooding, should the country experience more of the heavy rains witnessed over the past few weeks.

“Many pools of water have been created by the rains, and wadis are now full, so please be careful not to swim in them, and monitor your children so that they do not accidentally drown in them,” said the CDAA in its advisory.

There is still heavy cloud cover over many parts of the Sharqiyah, Wusta, and Dhahirah governorates, as well as over the northern part of the Dhofar, which is currently experiencing the Khareef season.

“Fog and intermittent mist over the coastline and mountains of the Dhofar are likely,” said Oman Meteorology in its weather update. “There is a spread of clouds over most of the northern and central governorates.”

Aerial images show that these clouds are moving inland from over the Arabian Sea, and bring with them the possibility of scattered rain.