At an informal dinner in Jeddah, government officials, members of the business community and intellectuals discussed the appalling social and environmental conditions of the city once promoted as the ‘Bride of the Red Sea’.
Jeddah, a city of over two million, is the gateway to Makkah and Madinah where millions of visitors from all over the world come every year. The city’s unique location plus the openness and tolerance of its people transformed it into a major business and economic center. The city’s rapid expansion and increasing population have not been matched by a corresponding expansion in essential services. A city once the pride of its residents and visitors now faces an environmental disaster, economic stagnation and both social and moral degeneration. The more the city expands, the more its problems are compounded. After exhausting every idea, the officials in charge of city planning and development continue to live under the illusion that no place is as beautiful as Jeddah. They think problems can be overcome by slogans and imported solutions. We are all familiar with “Smile, You Are in Jeddah” and “Jeddah is Different” but such things solve no problems and replace none of the city’s lost beauty and charm. A tired old woman, insisting on heavy makeup, only looks absurd and fools no one. Much of the discussion focused on the serious environmental and health hazards of a city sitting on a lake of sewage. The mayor recently painted a gloomy picture, stating that the health risks and daily inconveniences are the direct result of overflowing sewage and using trucks to transport filth to the dumpsite outside the city. The dam which holds the sewage in a one million-square-meter artificial lake could collapse at any time because of the sheer volume in the lake. Rising water levels have already resulted in considerable damage to roads and streets, concrete foundations of buildings, power cables and underground installations. It was shocking and regrettable to see how some people treated the matter lightly and indifferently. Even more painful was that some of them were government officials and prominent social figures. People suggested that the officials should come up with practical and affordable solutions. Shortcomings and mistakes must be admitted and those in charge must publicly admit their failure to do the job.
One solution was for the government to handle sewage projects in all cities of the country in a joint effort with the private sector, without favoring one place over another. As for Jeddah, we must have a competent, trustworthy private body that enjoys full backing by the highest authority. Then it will be possible to work out a realistic program for the city.
The normal practice of ‘official committees’ should be avoided since so little is accomplished by them. The government should ensure that projects are cost effective and implemented on commercial bases. There were some reservations about whether the specially-created Jeddah Holding Company is up to the job. Well, what are the alternatives?
There is no harm if state and citizens share the cost of the vital project in a joint venture after agreeing on who should do what.
The first step towards a solution is learning from past mistakes. The committee entrusted with studying the sewage problem must act fast and offer solutions before the city and its population sink.
