By A Staff Reporter

MUSCAT Even four days after the tropical storm Gonu struck the Sultanate, people in the wilayats of Sur and Quriyat are still suffering.

The two wilayats are still waiting for aid and relief material, which have been obstructed by damaged roads.

People of the two wilayats are living without power and water as supplies were cut off by the storm.

The storm accompanied by rain ravaged and damaged roads and streets in the villages of Daghmor, Al Hager and Al Inain. The roads in most of the areas in the wilayats are still submerged in floodwaters.

The storm had also cut off all means of communications. The cyclone caused material losses but no deaths have been recorded so far. The water from overflowing wadis entered into a large number of houses and submerged them. Many houses were broken into two pieces.

People of Sur and its villages have been facing a lot of sufferings after the cyclone hit the region. The loss of electricity also caused decrease in oil and water supplies and damaged the telephone lines.

The slush and mud brought by water from wadis accumulated inside the houses and on the roads and streets.

Nyabat Ras Al Had was badly affected. Rain and water from wadis swept everything in its path. People lost  all their  belongings and their livestock was killed.

Her Excellency Dr Sharifa Bint Khalfan Al Yahyaeiyah, Minister of Social Development, on Sunday visited the wilayat of Quriyat.

In the Governate of Muscat, life is gradually returning to normal but traffic, garbage dumps, dust and potholes remain a problem. Traffic is moving at snail’s pace due to dust and potholes on the highway and main roads in different areas. People are finding it difficult to walk on the roads and streets.

In Al Ghubra North, where the relief started pouring in, people are suffering in the absence of electricity and water. The electricity and water supply were cut off as the storm had damaged the electricity cables and poles and water connection network.

Garbage dumps and slush are still seen in interior areas. Most of the area is filled with stinging odour of garbage.

Meanwhile, many restaurants in the capital have failed to stand up to the critical situation and circumstances experienced by all those affected by the cyclone. Many restaurants do not comply with the health requirements for food safety. In turn, they use substandard raw materials harmful to health to compensate for closures during the cyclone at the expense of consumers health.

HE Dr Ali Bin Jaafar Bin Mohammed, Adviser for Health Affairs at the Ministry of Health, said there was no threat of epidemic in the Sultanate and the ministry was following the health situation closely and does not expect any spread of diseases like malaria, measles or cholera or any kind of fever which usually occurs due to stagnated rainwater.

In the wake of Cyclone Gonu, even as people of the Sultanate are picking up the pieces, the new living conditions for scores of affected residents are raising fears of the spread of diarrhoea.

Advising people to take precautionary measures, Ruth Mabry, Technical Officer at the WHO office in Muscat, said: “People should boil water or chlorinate it before using it for drinking and cooking purposes,” adding that people should maintain personal hygiene and wash their hands and keep the food in safe places.

Desalination stations in Al Ghubra and Barka have resumed operations as before after the necessary maintenance work was done in the sections which were damaged by the cyclone, according to HE Sheikh Seif Bin Mohammed Al Shabibi, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Housing, Electricity and Water.

Talking to Oman Tribune, Al Shabibi said drinking water supply has returned to normal in Muscat adding that the grave damage to the connection network was hindering supply in the main tanks in some areas.

Al Shabibi said severe damage to roads in Al Amerat and Quriyat was preventing specialised teams from access to connection networks, which had been hindering repair work.

However, with the assistance of Royal Oman Police and the Sultan’s Armed Forces, a road has been paved to reach Al Amerat and Quriyat and work was going on round the clock to repair the networks, posts and electrical cables, he added.

Regarding Sur, Al Shabibi said except some areas, water supply has returned to normal in the wilayat adding that the power supply would be resumed soon.

Water supply to many areas in the Governorate of Muscat, which were affected by the tropical cyclone Gonu over the past four days, has been resumed, according to a responsible source at the National Committee for Civil Defence.

The source told ONA that the water supply was resumed in Qurum, Shatti Al Qurum, Madinat A’Sultan Qaboos, Northern Athaiba, Al Ghubra and some parts of Al Khuwair area.

Oman LNG Company announced that there was no damage to the factory auxiliary to the company in the wilayat of Sur during the cyclone.

Dr Brian Bickly, Director-General and CEO, Oman LNG, said that in the aftermath of the cyclone, the company made precise inspection of the factory and observed that there was no damage done to the locomotives or other equipment. He said the company could operate two locomotives on Thursday in addition to a locomotive auxiliary to Qalhat LNG Company.

With inputs from ONA