Of course the war in Iraq continues to attract world attention and is a favorite topic for writers and speakers. I want, however, to I address a matter of great importance to all of us — water. I recently heard a piece from a radio station outside the Kingdom; the news was that the Ministry of Water had signed contracts worth SR75 million for sewage projects in Madinah. News of this sort should please everyone, including me, because any such project implemented in Madinah will ease the sufferings and hardships of many people. It doesn’t matter whether the project is a big one or a small one. At the same time, as I thought about the report, my mood turned to cautious optimism. My happiness was also diminished by my own knowledge that the existing sewage network in Madinah is capable of meeting no more than 35 percent of the city’s needs. And according to the report, 65 percent of the city’s neighborhoods and businesses are denied sewage service. I thought perhaps the news was not correct but in fact, the next day, that same story appeared in various local papers.
Where have the planners and officials in charge of water and sewage services been? Why have they left large parts of the holy city without a vital service for so long a time? Why wasn’t something done to solve the problem when there was plenty of money available for such civic necessities? If a city such as Madinah has a sewage network that takes care of only one-third of it, what about other cities that are larger in area and population? What about out-of-the-way towns and small urban centers which are scattered all over the country?
This picture points to serious flaws in our development plans. The picture also lets us know that the infrastructure base we have been admiring for some time is not at all what we imagined it to be. Those shining and attractive facades decorating our modern buildings are mere mirages standing on a non-existent infrastructure base. The result is that people are now paying the price for those shortcomings and also sacrificing their health, money and energy. It is not just the sewage network; indeed, there are many other areas that need some attention. The big questions are what were the planners doing and what became of all the money that was surely appropriated for those projects?
Arab News From the Local Press 13 April 2003
