The surface water has been damaging roads in the district making travel very hard for vehicles and pedestrians alike, as well as posing a health and environmental risk in the area. The project involves drainage of the unwanted water using the latest technology.

Municipal officials have visited the district to identify locations damaged by the surface water.

Al-Ajawid district is south of the Prince Fawaz Iskan and southeast of Al-Jauhara district.

The project’s work will start from the north where the main pipeline begins and continue to the southern part of the district along the main street. It will also head west in the direction of the industrial city.

The project will cover the area between the Battarjee pharmaceutical factory and the south flood canal.

District residents have been threatened by various fatal infections because of mosquitoes breeding in the stagnant water, which has also emitted a constant foul smell over the past two years. Leaking sewage tanks have added to the misery of residents.

Residents also fear that the increasing dampness of the ground has weakened the foundations of their old houses.

They said they had repeatedly demanded the Jeddah municipality and the Municipal Council to tackle the problem urgently.

Local residents also said that municipal officials had given them false promises. Some started using their own drainage pumps. The most affected locations are Saeed bin Siddique Street and Muhammad Masoodi Street.