No words can describe the appallingly unhygienic conditions in Jeddah as a result of the city’s failed sewage system. The damage is no longer confined to the moral offense caused by the absence of this basic service. This is a service that must be provided in any modern city, and Jeddah being a modern city is no exception.
The damage has extended to people’s health, a mark of shame on all of us that history will never forgive us for.
A serious indication of the health problems associated with the lack of a proper sewage system is the alarming increase in the number of cancer cases among the city’s population, which has been traced over a very short period of time. We are talking about a terrifying disease which, here in the Kingdom, strikes panic in the heart of everyone who hears its name.
Doctors following this situation also tell of the spread of lung and chest cancer. They attribute it to pollution caused by the disposal of sewage water carried by trucks to a huge lake outside the city. More cases are expected in the future, and with it the health bill will shoot up as more people seek medical treatment.
It is truly shameful to see that, despite all the warnings, this serious administrative failure still appears far from being rectified. We continue to witness a state of total indifference, with no sign of any serious or decisive resolve to bring an end to the problem.
The first step toward reform should be punishing those responsible for this major catastrophe. This would serve as a warning to others. In any case, how can we punish a person who jumps a traffic light, is in violation of the immigration laws or fails to pay an invoice while allowing those responsible for a tragedy of this dimension to walk away freely? By behaving like this, we are sending a wrong message — in effect telling people that we condone corruption, injustice and mismanagement.
Let us start now by mobilizing all material and financial resources to embark on an emergency plan with a fixed timetable and tight schedule.
As a reminder of our failure we should build a huge monument in one of the city main squares and write on it the date of every day that passes without the sewage problem being solved. We should also write the number of people who have got cancer and died as a result.
Arab News From the Local Press 23 November 2002
