Yahya Hamza Kaushak, an engineer, told Arab News that the Old Buildings Committee was responsible to determine structures that are potentially dangerous.

"The committee should examine not only old buildings but also weak buildings because heavy rains can bring down any building that has construction faults," Kaushak said.

Another source said the Jeddah municipality contracted an engineering laboratory to discover buildings that are close to collapse or those that cannot withstand heavy rains. However, the huge number of old buildings makes it impossible for the experts in laboratories to complete their task in a short time.

The Old Buildings Committee has also learned from its past experience that it cannot force residents out of a building even if the building is on the verge of collapse.

The committee has estimated that close to 10,000 buildings that are unsafe are occupied by mainly expatriate tenants. There were many cases of building collapses including the wiping out of an entire family over the past two years, the source said.

A member of Saudi Engineering Society, Adnan Al-Turkistani, told Arab News that the presence of a huge number of weak buildings is because of the lack of laboratories and qualified engineers to check the strength of concrete pillars. There should be rules to ensure the strength of buildings.

Al-Turkistani added that the engineering society could serve as an umbrella organization for such services.

"After examining some collapsed buildings, I have come to realize that even new buildings with their construction faults could lead to disastrous consequences," he said.

He was unhappy with the lack of expertise in some engineering firms. He said one owner of a building under construction grew suspicious of the strength of a newly erected concrete pillar of his building and consulted two engineering firms on the matter. The firms gave him contradictory advice.

One of them said that the pillar was strong enough while the other said it did not have the strength to support the building. Then the owner had to consult a third firm which also agreed with the view of the second firm.

Al-Turkistani advised residents in old buildings to call the experts of Civil Defense or the municipality to ensure the strength of their buildings to avoid tragedy for them and their dear ones. He also urged building owners to take precautions against water seeping into the basement of their buildings during rains.