World in shock as Saudi Arabia’s Mecca hit with huge flood months after heavy snowfall, it’s shocking because…

Mecca flood: In a shocking update from Saudi Arabia, heavy rainfall swept the city of Mecca, leading to waterlogging issues across the area. For those unversed, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is experiencing unprecedented heavy rains and severe floods, causing chaos in the region. Here are all the updates on the recent flood-like situation in the religious city of Mecca.

Regarding the reason behind the chaos, the underdeveloped sewage systems in Saudi cities have often been criticised and are being currently blamed for the flood-like situation. Moreover, due to the lack of preparedness to handle heavy rainfall in arid localities, the situation got worsened.

Watch:

Situations in Mecca, Saudi Arabia #Flood #SaudiArabia #meccafloods #MeccaMadina pic.twitter.com/YWNACvWmDh

— Shahadat Hossain (@shsajib) January 8, 2025

Uninterrupted ambulance and emergency service gets into action

Responding to the flood, Saudi Arabia‘s Red Crescent Authority (SRCA) confirmed that full operational readiness is present for the rescue teams to ensure uninterrupted ambulance and emergency service, as per a report by the Saudi Press Agency. Additionally, the Saudi authorities also warned citizens to remain cautious and follow safety guidance. Also, the Civil Defense service urged people to stay away from lowland and water-logging areas.

Most interestingly, the floods in Saudi Arabia come just two months after the country experienced an unprecedented snowfall in its northern Al-Jawf region, which was a surprise for the desert landscape country. The above events are shocking because of the Desert based climate of Saudi Arabia.

Saudi holds meeting for UN Convention to Combat Desertification

In a different update related to Climate Change, the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was held last week in Saudi, with 39 decisions, including a procedural decision on drought, adopted.

Several postponements marked the final day of the two-week conference, which did not conclude until 02:05 local time (2300 GMT Friday). As negotiations had been stuck in reaching consensus over a new drought framework, parties adopted a procedural decision agreeing to continue discussions on the basis of the progress made at COP16, with a view to adopting a decision at COP17 in Mongolia in 2026.

Meanwhile, more than 12 billion U.S. dollars were pledged to tackle desertification, land degradation and drought around the world, especially in the most vulnerable countries.

(With inputs from agencies)