JEDDAH, 18 August 2005 — The horsepower and horses that infest the Al-Hamra beach on Jeddah’s Corniche are a menace, say families looking for an evening’s relaxation and fun for their children.
The threat of four-wheel beach buggies mowing down the young and the stench of droppings are making life hazardous and a misery there.
Jeddah municipality has promised in many occasions to eliminate the problem; they quite simply have not. Visitors see no noticeable change. Jeddah Corniche stretches more than 120 kilometers north to south, but only a few kilometers in Jeddah are fully developed to the extent that it is considered one of Jeddah’s main attractions.
Al-Hamra section of the Corniche is about more than a kilometer and a half long and includes restaurants, children’s play areas — that are not properly maintained — and sculptures. Offshore, the King Fahd Fountain, one of tallest fountains in the world at 262 meters, is the main attraction for many visitors.
Many people tend to avoid that part of the beach despite the attractions because of the danger and stench.
Sarah Ameen, a Saudi student at a private college abroad, said that she was embarrassed when her foreign friend came to visit her. She took her friend to visit the beach. She said, “Amazed by the fountains and nice scriptures, my friend decided to take a walk on the beach. It only lasted five minutes because the smell was unbearable. What makes it worst is that we were almost hit by two beach buggies. She was asking me whether there are police or officials that could stop the nonsense. In England, where she is from, she said that safety of beach visitors is top priority unlike in Jeddah. She told me that she had never seen such a filthy beach full of horses, rats, crows and garbage.”
Hattan Ghazi, a Saudi parent, said that the best time for him to take his children to that part of the beach is during the month of Ramadan because there are no danger activities before sunset. He said that people from other cities like Riyadh visit Jeddah because it lies on the Red Sea. “The place deserves more attention and enhancements to attract citizens and tourists,” he said.
Sammar Abdulaziz, a mother of two daughters talked about her terrifying experience when two of her kids were injured at the Corniche. She said, “I will never forget that day. My girls were playing and enjoying their time running behind each other. When all of the sudden an inexperienced young rider who was very young and riding a beach buggy hit both the girls. For the moment I felt that the world had stopped. My girls suffered from broken bones one in the arm and one in the leg because they were hit at high speed. I did not blame the young boy who was riding the beach buggy. I put the full blame on the municipality that allows such danger activities to take place in these areas.
“I do not believe that they are doing much anyway. All what they do is issue warnings, arrest some people and forget about it the next week. What kind of beach is this where people and horse droppings sit together in one place?”
