They’d worry every time they see heavy clouds coming towards them. These are the people of the villages of Raqshat, east of the Mahayil Asir Governorate.
Usually raining is a good thing for the people of the desert, except for them, as the flow of torrents in the valleys of Taiah, Qashban, Shaab Berman, and Shatt, which isolates them from the main road linking Mahayel and Abha, makes it very difficult for them to access health, educational and commercial services, in addition to the severe risks they are exposed to due to torrential rain, which causes their homes and cars to be flooded, and keeps them inside their homes for many days.
The people of the area said that they appealed many and that for more than 43 years, successive generations demanded the government to build a bridge to make their lives easier and find solutions for the flood crisis, to no avail.
For their part, the people appealed to Prince Faisal bin Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, governor of the Asir region, to intervene quickly to solve their crisis, as they live in isolation from the rest of the world every rainy season, due to the valleys that surround them.
Fayea Al-Harthy, one of the residents of the village, said: The Raqshat, which is about one kilometer away from the main road, live in complete isolation because of Teh and Qashba valleys, which usually have torrent rains.
Al-Harthy added that with every rainfall and the flow of valleys, our village lives in complete isolation from Mahayel Governorate and Abha city and from all health, educational and commercial services, due to the inability of hundreds of employees, male and female students from the village, to reach their workplaces and schools.
Farraj bin Ali Al Mushait said on behalf of the villagers “the danger facing us must be ended, by connecting the town to the highway between Mahayel and Abha via a bridge. However, they did not find any response from the competent authorities, especially the Ministry of Transport, which had many successive ministers and officials.
The village of A-Rarqshat has more than 6000 people, whose suffering is exacerbated every year by the rainfall each season.
Nayef Khaloufa said: The suffering of the residents of Raqshat is increasing year after year, due to the height of the highway which is 50 meters above the entrance of the village, which causes the flooding of homes of the people.
The people also expressed their rage about the interruption of their children from education and all services, because of the flooded roads, and demanded the construction of a high bridge linking them with the main road.
Abdullah Ahmed Asiri said: “The flow of torrents in the valleys isolates our villages. Students and employees find it very difficult to reach their schools and workplaces, in addition to the tanks that supply the town with water. When will our suffering end?”
His brother, Mohamed Asiri, stressed the need to build a bridge or a ship to end their isolation, wondering: when would the dream come true?
