TAIF: Driving through the mountainous city of Taif, visitors used to see vast lush farmlands including everything from fruit and vegetables to beautiful roses. But the situation is changing now, thanks to rapid urbanization.
Due to the expansion of construction projects and a lack of resources, many farmers say their farmlands are in the initial stages of disappearing.
“We have been experiencing a major problem with water. Despite the seasonal rains that we have we are being forced to hire water trucks to keep our crops alive,” said Misfir Saleh Al-Ziad, a Saudi government employee and landowner who still lives in Al-Hada, a semi-rural area outside of Taif.
“The water problem is causing more and more people, who are second and third generation landowners, in the area to contemplate selling their land and moving to the city,” he said.
Al-Ziad told Arab News he was thinking of doing the same and visited a real estate company in Taif to facilitate the sale of his land. He, however, decided not to sell when given inside information about the property he owns. He was advised to hold on to the property a little longer.
“The realtor told me that soon after the completion of the Makkah-Taif-Abha Expressway, major construction companies have plans to build a modern city in Al-Hada, which will connect Taif and increase the value of the real estate we currently own by at least 10 times or more,” he said, adding that he then advised his neighbors not to sell their land.
Experts say Taif has over the last few years witnessed massive development that is apt to make the city a tourist destination. Tourists from around the Kingdom and the neighboring Gulf countries are expected to visit the city in greater numbers in coming years. In addition, a new international airport is being planned outside Taif city.
The new airport, which will be located 30 km northeast of Taif city, 70 km from Makkah and 160 km from Jeddah, is expected to serve millions of pilgrims due to its close proximity to the holy sites and central location surrounded by highways that link the Kingdom’s west, east, central and southern regions.
Speaking about the new airport, Taif Mayor Fahd bin Moammar said the airport would help ease traffic load on King Abdulaziz International Airport during the Haj season. He said work was already under way to prepare the airport’s design.
