In a session held on Thursday under Chairman Hussain ibn Alawi Baaqeel, council members called for intensification of efforts to provide potable water to the residents.

Abdullah Al-Assaf, director of Jeddah affairs at the National Water Company was present to outline the comprehensive plan to expand the sewerage network. He said water would be flowing in pipes by early next month in areas ravaged by the Nov. 25 flash floods east of the Haramain Exressway.

Baaqeel said the council also discussed the issue of subletting of shops in the central fish market and asked its Supervision, Transparency and Performance Control Committee to formulate a mechanism to check whether shops are being sublet to others or not.

The issue of how fishmongers obtain vending locations in the market has been a point of contention recently, with vendors complaining about how the locations are distributed.

The council also backed a SR20 million plan to demolish dilapidated buildings downtown that pose a threat of collapse. The issue has sprung up recently after numerous incidents in the past year.

The council also honored its former chairman and member of the Shoura Council, Tarik Fadaak, for the great services he had rendered to Jeddah during his chairmanship.