As water scarcity remains one of the greatest challenges facing Bahrain, the harvesting of rainwater presents a missed opportunity. Over the course of one or two days, heavy annual rains in the Gulf produce a short-term landscape of ponds, lakes, and canals.

These seasonal floods previously played a large role in recharging the aquifer and helping minimize the reliance on groundwater for agriculture. Today, with the hardscape of the built up city, the water has pooled, causing flooding and disabling infrastructure. The rainy season has drawn the ire of the citizenry. The solution to these liminal bodies of water has largely been to pump the water into tankers and dump it into the sea. For the Kingdom of Bahrain’s participation in the Expo 2020 Dubai Water Week, Civil Architecture and bahraini—danish proposed a series of temporary fountains. As opposed to getting rid of the ponds or the water, the proposal suggests a temporary infrastructure celebrating the change of seasons rather than looking to hastily eradicate it, allowing the pools to become temporary public installations until they dry up.

The fountains remain largely inactive for a portion of the year. During the rainy season they are activated, and in turn activate rain pools and low-lying areas. Instead of removing a problem or attempting to move it as quickly as possible, the proposal suggests celebrating the passing of time and the sudden deluge with a fountain as a way of acknowledging the changing of seasons rather than working towards a ubiquitous, seasonless present.