The Industrial Area's flooding woes continued as portions of a number of roads in the sprawling city neighbourhood remained under water, after heavy rain lashed Doha and other parts of the country.

While water was drained out from some of the streets and efforts were on to clear more roads, the situation was still grim in some parts of the area, according to residents.

Just a month ago, another spell of rain had left several roads in the area waterlogged, causing much inconvenience to residents and visitors alike.

Residents of the area, especially those staying on the eastern side, said last month's downpour had made things difficult for them as many roads were flooded or remained muddy for a while. Now, they would have to cope with waterlogged roads yet again.

Following the latest spell , there are reports of water from some of the streets flowing into warehouses and housing units run by different companies.

The situation is particularly bad between streets 23 and 40, say residents. "This is such a busy area, housing a variety of warehouses, repair shops and other units, besides workers' accommodation. Some of the roads here are already in poor shape and things become even worse when it rains like this," said a resident, calling for a permanent solution to the problem.

Some of the worst-affected streets are home to a number of warehouses belonging to foodstuff companies, it is learnt. They are mainly concentrated on streets 36 to 38 and it is common to see vehicles - transporting foodstuff - get stuck in the water after a spell of showers, the residents point out, expressing fear that any further rain would make matters even more difficult for them.

Some companies have apparently shifted their workers' housing facilities to other places in the country, including Umm Slal Mohamed and south of Al Wakrah, in view of the problems faced in the Industrial Area such as poor roads, water-logging during rains and unhygienic surroundings.

Some residents, though, are hopeful of a solution to their problems as major infrastructure development works are to be carried out in the Industrial Area in the near future. "This may provide the permanent solution that both residents and visitors are looking for," said a worker living in the area.