RIYADH: The National Center for Environmental Compliance (NCEC) is hosting an interactive pavilion for children to mark Environment Week 2024, which began last Sunday, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The center’s pavilion, in Riyadh’s Granada Square, carries the slogan “Know Your Environment.” It features activities for children promoting environmental preservation and protecting air, water and soil from pollution.

Young visitors are first met with a moving knowledge wall containing several tips placed on hanging cubes, each decorated with a color and information, or a picture.

Children can then move to the memory board to register as honorary members charged with protecting the environment. A part of the pavilion is dedicated to rest and entertainment, including cube puzzles and other games.

The center offers specialized scientific workshops for adults during Environment Week, addressing topics including land degradation.

The Kingdom is set to host COP16 in December this year, enhancing cooperation between the 197 signatory countries of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, and searching for ways rehabilitate millions of hectares of degraded land.

The center’s presence in Riyadh, Jeddah, Alkhobar and Taif aims to boost community awareness of environmental issues through a range of activities and events.

RIYADH: Schools in Saudi Arabia’s capital region Riyadh were instructed to switch to remote learning on Wednesday as storms and heavy rains continued to lash the country.

The Ministry of Education said it had taken the decision “based on reports received from the National Center of Meteorology and in the interest of everyone’s safety.”

Lessons would be conducted using the Madrasati and other e-learning platforms, it said.

The rain continued to fall in Riyadh on Wednesday, while the temperature ranged from 17-25 degrees Celsius.

Unaizah, a city in the central region of Qassim, saw its highest ever rainfall on Tuesday night.

Abdullah Al-Misnad, vice president of the Saudi Weather and Climate Society, said on X that “70 mm of rain fell … in just 60 minutes, half the annual average.”

Over the course of the night, the city saw 94.4 mm of rain, while Buraidah, also in Al-Qassim saw 17.5 mm, he said in the post, which was accompanied by images of flooded streets.

The General Directorate of Civil Defense on Wednesday issued warnings and safety instructions as the Kingdom braces for more heavy rainfall and thunderstorms.

“The Civil Defense calls for caution … due to the inclement weather situation witnessed in Qassim, Baha, Northern Borders, Jouf, Jazan, Asir, Makkah, Madinah and Riyadh regions,” it said.

The authority appealed to people to “stay away from valleys and waterlogged areas” and said “your safety is our goal.”

The National Center of Meteorology said on Monday that moderate to heavy rainfall would affect many parts of the country through Friday.

On Tuesday it said there was likely to be “higher than average rainfall” throughout the month of May, with Makkah, Jazan, Asir, Baha, Eastern Province and the Riyadh region likely to be the worst affected.