Page 188 - Bahrain Gov annual reports(V)_Neat

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provided at village schools. In addition work was started on a large Girls’ School and Mistresses’
quarters at Gudhaibia, both buildings being up to roof level at the end of the year. Buildings
for other Departments included additional warehouses and passenger handling sheds for the
Customs Department, a Police Station at Budaya, 76 houses for married Police and 58 houses
for workmen, the completion of a block of six flats for British staff overlooking the R.A.F.
Jetty at Gudhaibia, Teachers quarters and a large workshop for the Technical School, a diesel
engine repair shop for the Transport Department and the setting up of the Bahrain Broadcasting
Station. The latter building, which is completely air conditioned, was designed dcpartmentally
with the assistance of the Near East Arab Broadcasting Station in Cyprus who gave valuable
technical advice on acoustics and sound insulation. The broadcasting equipment was presented
to the Bahrain Government by the Bahrain Petroleum Company.

New Roads. New road construction was on a comparatively small scale, work being
confined to the avenues from Shaikh Daij Road past the new Palace to the Racecourse, and from
the Palace westwards to Jufair Road. In addition the widening of the Jufair Road was started.
Work was greatly assisted by the acquisition of a D.7 Caterpillar Tractor and three additional
diesel engined road rollers, including a 3-lon pavement roller.

Other New Construction. A variety of other works was carried out, the most important
being the commencement of the causeway approach to the proposed Deep Water Pier at
Jufair and the reclaiming of a considerable area for sidings and storage. This project when
completed will enable ocean going vessels to discharge their cargoes directly into railway trucks
at Jufair, thus obviating the very tedious and costly lighterage to which incoming cargoes are
at present subjected.
For the Customs Department a new pier for native craft was built adjacent to the old pier
so as to form an area of protected water. The old pier is now available for the working of
lighters and barges.
Several reclamation works were carried out. On Sea Road, Manama, a small promenade
with seats and parking places for cars was built out,whilst at Muharraq two valuable sites of
32,000 and 14,000 sq. feet respectively, adjacent to the sea front, were reclaimed, the latter for
use as quay for building material and as a taxi stand.
In Gudhaibia an old date garden on the east side of the Jufair Road was converted into a
Public Park by the building of roads and paths, ponds and llower gardens, a bandstand and
refreshment rooms. For the irrigation of the garden and as an additional water source for the
Manama Water Supply ; a zone “B” wall was sunk in the centre of the garden, the pumping
plant being accommodated beneath the bandstand. Owing to the water-logged subsoil (water
level in some parts of the garden being only about six inches below the surface), it was found
necessary to put in comprehensive drainage system and to pump the subsoil water out to the sea.

Maintenance. With the recruitment of an additional Works Officer for maintenance and
minor works, it was possible to put maintenance of Government properties on a much improved
footing and to institute a system of complete overhaul and redecoration at regular intervals.
A number of heavy structural repairs had to bccarried out, including rc-building of two sections
of the main walls of the Fort and part of the arched verandah of the Superintendent’s quarters
and the partial re-roofing of Hcdd and West Rafaa Boys’ Schools and of the Mariam bin Umran
! and the old Girls’ Schools at Manama. A particularly tricky repair was the renewal of the top
twenty feet of the 70 feet flagstaff in front of Rafaa Palace which had cracked and was in a
dangerous condition. The defective length was sawn off 50 feet above the ground and a new
section hoisted and clamped in position without lowering the mast. The whole operation was
carried out personally by the Bahraini overseer in charge of maintenance and was a remarkable
example of resourcefulness and courage.
By and large the general state of repair of Government buildings particularly the old ones
was much improved during the year.
Road repairs claimed considerable attention and following roads were re-surfaced :
Muharraq to Hedd Road
Muharraq Sea Road
All new Roads in Gudhaibia
Shaikh Hamad Road
A! Lulu Road
Government Road

i.