New sewerage projects to end suffering of Jeddah residents

Abdullah Al-Assaf, chief of Jeddah operations at the National Water Company (NWC), said that the NWC is currently implementing a number of sewerage projects in different Jeddah neighborhoods, including Khaldiyyah, Safa and part of Aziziyyah and Rabwah.
The cost of the projects is estimated SR 1 billion. Al-Assaf told Arab News that the new projects will put an end to the suffering of residents in these neighborhoods.
“Earlier, there used to be overflowing on a number of streets and unpleasant odors were common,” he said. The work will be completed by the end of this year.
Al-Assaf said, “In 2012, NWC began implementation of linking houses with the system. It has already connected more than 25,000 houses. But operation has not begun yet as some areas still need maintenance and due to encroachments on the network’s main lines.
Upon inspection, it turned out that there were some encroachments which resulted in delays for some citizens.” He also said that the NWC has begun removing encroachments on the main lines.
“However, during this time, some citizens made de facto tie-ups, which led to overflowing in Safa and other neighborhoods. The situation was exacerbated by some drivers who used to dump sewerage directly into the network, causing an overflow in almost all Jeddah neighborhoods,” he said.
Al-Assaf asked people to refrain from doing their own construction on the network. He gave a toll-free hotline to report any overflowing in the areas or streets (8004411110). “The line is open around the clock,” he said.
Meanwhile, some people living in the area complained that the problem has been around for too long. “We have suffered long enough from overflowing and bad odors in the area.
Apart from being a health hazard, it is also polluting the environment and making life difficult,” one resident said.