Ministry of Works to Launch Online Rain Damage Compensation Service

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

Specialists at the Ministry of Works are presently working on introducing a service for submitting damage compensation requests through the ministry's website. The service will be made available once the necessary procedures have been completed, according to Minister of Works Ibrahim Al Hawaj.

Minister Al Hawaj, addressing a proposal by Abdullah Ashour, the municipal council member representing the Sixth District in the Northern Governorate, stated that the service will be launched after all formalities are finalised.

Ashour's proposal, aimed at improving the current system, recommended that the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture, along with the Ministry of Works, establish a more advanced and user-friendly online service for citizens and residents to submit compensation requests for rain damage. At present, claims are submitted via traditional forms, which are processed through the Capital Trustees Board and municipal councils.

The proposal also suggested simplifying the conditions and criteria for submitting compensation requests to ensure that the process is straightforward for those affected. This includes extending compensation to vehicles damaged by rain, particularly in cases where cars break down on roads due to water accumulation, which is attributed to poor infrastructure and ineffective drainage systems. The proposal argues that citizens and residents should not be held responsible for these issues, especially since drivers have little control when caught on waterlogged roads.

Additionally, Ashour's proposal called for the Ministry of Works to implement permanent solutions to the problem of rainwater accumulation in the Sixth District and other areas of Bahrain, urging the government to allocate funds urgently for the establishment of proper drainage networks.

The recommendations also included the immediate provision of temporary housing for those affected by flooding, along with financial assistance to help citizens whose homes have been inundated due to inadequate infrastructure. Furthermore, there was a call to address the issue of sewage water backflow into homes during the rainy season and to equip all houses with systems to prevent such incidents.