MAKKAH: Illegal residents of African origin in Al-Mansour and Rea Bakhsh suburbs of Makkah have turned these areas into huge open-air commercial centers for African pilgrims.
In spite of municipality raids in these areas, the illegal bazaars continue to thrive. Noticeably, the municipality has failed to close down an illegal supermarket that has become a breeding ground for various illnesses. Despite health hazards, African shoppers and diners are not deterred from visiting the areas.
In an open-air market located behind the premises of the Red Crescent Society in Al-Mansour district, overstayers sell African delicacies to pilgrims, who are driven here by cheap prices. No thought is given to the potential health risks posed by the food and drink on offer.
Old and young African women squat near the places where African pilgrims have taken up residence, cooking food in an unhygienic atmosphere.
The women stock close to them various quantities of fruit, vegetables and meat, which all look spoiled. The food is then cooked on small gas cookers with cats prowling close by among rubbish.
Encouraged by their flourishing businesses, the women are helped by men. Some overstayers venture further by spreading carpets and rugs in courtyards and alleyways where pilgrims are able to sit and eat.
To add to the confusion, street sellers meander through the large crowds selling bric-a-brac to pilgrims. The end result is that Al-Mansour Street now bustles with African pilgrims, squatters, peddlers, unhygienic restaurants and overstayers.
Meanwhile, in the Rea Bakhsh area, some African overstayers have taken advantage of empty spaces to squat and erect plastic tents as temporary homes. Others were selling old clothes and other used items.
Clothes on sale here are mainly donated by philanthropists to the poor or found in garbage tips. The overstayers wash the clothes, wrap them in plastic bags and sell to pilgrims. To give them a glamorous look, the sellers use stands to display the clothes. Old shoes are polished, made to shine and put up for sale.
While involved in this business, women are careful not to forget their family duties and bring their children with them. The younger ones are tied to their backs while they carry on with their chores. When the need arises, the children relieve themselves in the open air.
Director General of Health Affairs in Makkah Dr. Khaled Zafar, who is also the head of the Haj Executive Committee, said the problem was the concern of Makkah Municipality and not the Health Affairs Department. “The Health Affairs Department last year started a program, called Ambassadors of Health Awareness, wherein medical students volunteered to spread health awareness among the guests of God,” he said.
He added that the program would be intensified this year with the help of the Tawafa establishments, which hosts students, providing them with accommodation in Makkah.
Dr. Muhammad Abdulwahab, who is the head of the Chest Department at Al-Ahli Al-Saudi Hospital in Makkah, said using old clothes could contribute to the spread of disease-carrying parasites, such as lice, fleas and skin pigmentation. “If items are worn on the head then they may also cause favus (a chronic skin infection caused by fungi),” he added.
