JEDDAH: Yesterday’s monthly meeting of the Jeddah Municipal Council fielded complaints from citizens, particularly the problem of water seeping up from ground in the Faraj Al-Musaed area of the municipality.
Gharam Al-Ghamdi, a resident of Faraj Al-Musaed, demanded that members of the council visit the area to see the water he says has been a problem for more than 20 years. The quality and source of the water is unknown, but residents say it has caused some to contract mosquito-borne dengue fever.
In another complaint, resident Saif Al-Qahtani discussed with the council the problem of minibuses that roam Jeddah streets with little regard to the safety of passengers, other vehicles or pedestrians.
He also urged the council to come up with an annual award recognizing the best Jeddah neighborhood.
Hasan Al-Zahrani, a municipal council member, said neighborhood centers have begun to receive maps of gardens as part of the municipality’s plans to establish more outdoor green areas.
Al-Zahrani said that the government budget is too small and the municipality is looking for more private sponsorship.
Council Chairman Tariq Fadaeq said there are some neighborhoods that are suffering from certain problems. “The council will conduct field trips to study and make necessary recommendations in order to solve the problems,” he said.
Fadaeq has said the council is planning to hold meetings with expatriate communities in the city to discuss problems they face. The first such meeting was held with a number of Palestinian residents recently.
