JEDDAH, 24 September 2006 — The water crisis in Jeddah reached a peak as many people, Saudis and expatriates, were obliged to welcome the holy month of Ramadan without water. Hundreds of people thronged the water distribution center in order to get coupons for tankers. The crisis created a black market in which water was sold at more than SR500 per tanker. Normally, the cost of a tanker is about SR115.

People complained about the worsening water supply situation as the problem expanded to residential areas such as Makrona, Al-Salama, Bawadi, Nuzha and Safa in addition to much of southern Jeddah.

Many Saudi women said they had to spend hours at the distribution center to get water. Some of them, especially the elderly, fainted as a result of pushing and shoving.

“Expatriates are no longer allowed to stand in queues for water tankers,” said Shafi Muhammad, a Bangladeshi domestic helper. “Little do they realize that it is not me who needs water; it is my Saudi landlord and other Saudis who live in the building,” he explained. He said it was insulting to be barred from the Tahlia Water Distribution Center “just because I am not Saudi.”

He felt the decision was aimed at forcing people to buy water on the black market. “No Saudi will stand in those queues. The authorities in charge of the water distribution center know that very well. So what is happening is that we non-Saudi building caretakers are paying extra money to get water tankers on the black market. Our Saudi employers are happy with that because they do not have to stand in queues.”

On Friday night, Shafi paid SR400 for a tanker that should have cost SR115. “There is no water shortage. It is just that some people are making an artificial shortage in order to fleece money from the public,” he said. “The government needs to sort this out very soon.”

But according to Abubakr, who works as a guard at a residential building in Faisaliya, expatriates are not barred from buying water tankers. “What is happening now is that when they give 10 tankers to Saudis expatriates will get only one. So we have to wait a long time.” Abubakr also reported tight security at the distribution center.

One resident of Al-Rehab district said formerly water from the municipal mains had flowed into his area every fifth day, but the supply had lately been infrequent. Now the mains dry for up to nine days before the supply resumes, he said.

A building manager in the same neighborhood had to pay SR500 for a tanker of water on the black market Friday night. “The queues at the distribution center were so long that had I waited there for my turn to come, my tenants would have had no water on the first day of Ramadan,” he said.

Yousuf Al-Barqawi said it was very difficult to get a water tanker coupon. “Those who have wasta — connections — can get one quickly. Others like me have to wait a day or two,” he explained.

The problem of slow refilling of tankers is compounded by the condition of the access road at the Al-Safa plant. Deeply rutted, the road surface has been worn through for much of its 800-meter length to the extent that sharp reinforcing bars protrude and threaten to tear out the sidewalls of tanker tires.

Abdul Rahman Al-Muhammadi, director of the water department in Jeddah, attributed the crisis to a water shortage. “We need at least one million cubic meters of water daily and at present we receive only 650,000,” he said.

“Everybody knows that Jeddah is an expanding city and the shortage occurs during the peak seasons of Ramadan, Haj and the beginning of the academic year,” he said, adding that only 15 percent of residential districts were affected.

He said the present supply schedule had been prepared considering the population density of each district. He said that undocumented expatriate workers in Jeddah had played their role in worsening the crisis. He is optimistic that the crisis will be solved shortly.

“We have reached an agreement with a contractor to supply water to homes. He will start on Nov. 6. There will be four distribution centers and subscribers will get cards. They will get water soon after calling the centers,” he said, adding that the measure had been taken primarily to end the black market.

He said a study conducted by a French company had called for renovating water networks to stop leakages and also for revising water tariffs. He urged the public not to use water suckers as it would pollute the network and reduce supply to others in the neighborhood. He advised them to use water conservation devices in order to reduce water wastage by as much as 30 percent.