While most of Qatar has been enjoying time off of work and spending time with loved ones during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, the celebrations have not gone as planned for some.
According to local media reports, at least four people were killed in a road accident in the Industrial Area early yesterday. Al Sharq reports that there were 90 other, mostly minor, vehicle accidents around the country during the first day of Eid.
Meanwhile, though the humidity has receded, temperatures continue to rise, with the Qatar Meteorology Department (MET) forecasting a high of 45C (113F) today.
The MET has also issued a strong wind warning, and cautioned residents about sandstorm-like conditions that are expected to continue throughout the day.
Weather forecast for Saturday 18/07/2015 pic.twitter.com/RAEzC6pb8W
— أرصاد قطر (@qatarweather) July 17, 2015
In a statement, the department added that there will be some relief starting tomorrow:
“Starting from Sunday 19/07/2015 the wind speed will decrease which will be Northwesterly- Northeasterly light to moderate in speed and the wave height will be slight to moderate and the weather is going to be during this period relatively humid by night becoming on Tuesday 21/07/2015 humid with haze to misty at places.”
Power outages
As demand for air conditioning increases with the rising heat, state electricity and water company Kahramaa has been struggling to keep the power on across the nation.
According to Gulf Times, the power went out in shops and homes in Muaither and Rayyan for four hours in the middle of the night on Thursday night/Friday morning.
Many residents took to the streets to seek relief from the heat in their houses, the newspaper reported.
Yesterday, Kahramaa apologized to customers who lost power during Eid, saying on Twitter:
#KAHRAMAA would like to apologize to customers for any inconvenience caused by any power interruption (1/3)
— KAHRAMAA (@kahramaa) July 17, 2015
It should be noted that most of the interruptions are due to overloads without #KAHRAMAA approval.. (2/3)
— KAHRAMAA (@kahramaa) July 17, 2015
The main network is stable and #KAHRAMAA is doing its utmost to restore electricity supply to all affected customers. (3/3)
— KAHRAMAA (@kahramaa) July 17, 2015
Thoughts?
Death at any time of the year is very sad but especially for families during special times like Christmas and Eid. My sympathies to those concerned. Again however the issue of road safety is raised and I can rattle on about being unable to teach those who do not want to learn and non enforcement etc. However, this time simply two things; firstly, as a friend of mine pointed out recently, when people from all over the world live in the UK, USA, Canada and around the rest of the Western world they simply drive properly and use seat belts/ car seats for children etc. So why don’t they do it here? Secondly, I call again on DN to interview the head of police here and ask straight out why his police force does not stop and fine drivers on the spot for violations. Simply put why don’t they enforce the law. I suspect that I already know the answer but I would like to hear it from them directly. Shabina ….thoughts?
In a small sign of progress, at least The Peninsula, when reporting on this story, didn’t bother to use the word “accident”. They chose a more appropriate, albeit sanitized, word:
“DOHA: At least four Qataris died and one was critically injured in a road mishap in the Industrial Area in the early hours of the first day of Eid Al Fitr yesterday. ”
It takes a rather active imagination to consider what a carful of people, most of whom were minors, were doing in the industrial area in the early hours of the morning. I don’t imagine it was to get fresh bread and the morning paper.
It doesn’t say anywhere they were minors, read the Peninsula article more carefully. They refer to the majority of accidents that day as minor.
People are active in the morning of Eid for prayers.
An ounce of sympathy, decorum and attention to the actual article would be appropriate when speaking about 4 recently deceased people, rather than speculating they are minors and what they were doing.
Car accidents and deaths unfortunately became normal from the continues occursnces
But what is the attraction of the industrial area at any time of the day, apart frim car repair, let alone in the early hours of the morning ?
People move around early during eid you no good child molesting alcoholic sack of sh*t.
Shabina I presume you’ll be deleting this comment and blocking this contributor for abusive language, stereotyping and bigotry ? An impressive achievement in one sentence …
Wow!
Typical trash trying to play the moral card after implying people who had died were responsible for it despite not knowing the full facts.
Oh come on! Deleting for attack. Warning to tone it down or we’ll have to block you.
Lol, the industrial area is where many young Qataris illegally modify their LCs, there is also the car auction market and more importantly, Qatar Racing Club is out there. I think they have events in Eid (car donuts and stuff.. link is related)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uDIJvS54I4
An interview with the director of traffic department is useless because I listened to him before and he was speaking like a preacher or social worker begging people to drive safely !!
We’ve posed this question to police officials before. Their answer is that they do enforce the laws, but that officers who are off duty don’t pull people over. :/
Thank you for the reply Shabina but I think that the general belief is that they do not enforce the traffic laws. Not enough traffic stops are being done. In the UK and the U.S. the cops have video in their cars and will record people on their phones or doing other crazy stuff. It is then used in court. They would have a great time over here doing that if they were allowed to borrow some trained police.
I donot see where the comment on off duty police comes from but perhaps I am not reading it correctly. I would not have thought that they would stop anyone. They are usually too busy on their own phones to notice anyway.
so what about the rest of the officers??? those who are on duty.
Four articles in a row about general news related to Eid… can I suggest for the fifth article an examination of forecasted 2022 Eid dates and the possibility of them coinciding with the WC?
They have said the cup will be in winter. Ramadan in 2022 will be in April / May. There is nothing to report.
Yet you read them all. Get a life bro.. If it bothers you, skip it.. you don’t get commission to read articles you know 🙂
I don’t have to read the entire article to know what they are about, there’s a reason there are headlines on news sites dumb a $$.
Everyone here knows who the dumb a $$ is sir. You are very well known here Saleem. I wait for your comments to have a laugh or two usually and I am sure many are in the same boat.
Advice: Less complaining about what topics an independent news forum choses to display would reflect better upon you. It is simple, you don’t like the topic, skip it and do not comment. Simple as that…
Blah blah blah… is all I saw and stopped reading after the first sentence. LOL.
I am 100% sure you read it all because you are nosy and have no life: ) don’t lie
Any further insight into the heightened security around town?……
Please ask kharama what they mean by unapproved overload? 1 what is an unapproved overload? 2 what is the process of getting an approval. Tweet seems like denying culpability. Unless there really is a process.