JEDDAH, 12 April 2008 — The progress in Jeddah’s ongoing SR7-billion project to install a citywide sewage and drainage system has many people wondering whether the date of completion that has been announced by the government — 2013 — is not soon enough for a city that has exploded in size yet has no system of sewage pipes.
Instead, the city relies on hundreds of thousands of individual septic tanks that are pumped out regularly by fleets of independent contractors.
According to the daily Al-Madinah yesterday, many question whether they can put up with the ongoing projects over the next five years, or whether the government should expedite the implementation of a proper sewage system that is decades overdue. There are currently an estimated 46,000 project sites in the city.
Ali Eshqi, professor of environmental studies at the King Abdulaziz University, said that several parts in Jeddah are covered by stagnant drainage water posing serious health and environmental problems due to these public works trenches.
He said that the private sector alone could find appropriate solutions for the issue and complete the works at the scheduled time. But Eshqi lamented that a private company, which offered to help ease the situation by making use of the drainage water, was discouraged by some impossible conditions laid down by the related departments. In order to facilitate the work, the contractors have closed several roads and lanes in some districts. As the work progresses at a snail’s pace the misery of the local residents are increasing. Haphazard diggings have caused several accidents and deaths of workers. “The directorate should simplify regulations so that private companies desirous of investing in the field may come forward before Jeddah drowns in stinking water,” Eshqi added.
Muhammad Al-Baghdadi, supervisor general at the General Directorate for Water and Drainage Water in Makkah, said an impediment to the speedy implementation of the project includes what he says is the low priority the project gets in relation to water, electricity, and telephone infrastructure development.
Meanwhile, Hisham Abdeen, an engineer, expressed surprise at the statement of an official of the directorate that the project would be completed in one year. “The time allotted for the completion of the project should be cut by half in view of the need for the speedy implementation of the project guaranteeing the safety of people and the roads. That could be done only with the help of experienced contractors,” he said.
Ibrahim Kutubkhana, undersecretary for projects at the Jeddah Mayor’s Office, said the project coordination office at the mayor’s office undertook the task of coordinating with various utility departments such as water, electricity and telephone to avoid delays. His office issues the permits for digging operations and strictly supervises the work.
