JEDDAH, 19 October 2004 — The Hindawiya neighborhood south of Jeddah is inundated with sewage, threatening the lives and health of residents in the district, Al-Madinah newspaper reported yesterday. Residents of the neighborhood have complained frequently to the municipality about the situation but to no avail.
Sewage water which flooded the street has risen to the level where it enters some homes, threatening residents’ health if the situation is allowed to continue.
A frequent complaint, apart from the “rivers of sewage” in the roads is the lack of a cleaning team to clear up the garbage.
Abdullah Swaieed, a storeowner who has lived in the neighborhood for more than 40 years, said that the situation looks very bad. “We are ashamed of how the neighborhood looks. Sewage and garbage is everywhere. It is becoming an everyday problem. For weeks the municipality did nothing about it. It is surrounding women and children inside their homes,” Swaieed told Al-Madinah.
Swaieed’s store has frequently been made inaccessible to customers. “I wish if the minister or the mayor of Jeddah would come to the neighborhood and see for himself how bad the situation is.”
“It is useless to call the municipality,” said Muhammad Al-Sulaimani, another resident. “We have been calling them for a long time now. We also called the company responsible for sewage pipes many times with no answer.”
Occasionally, the company concerned sends a small sewage truck to clean up temporarily and tells the residents that they have solved the problem. “The problem is back again after 24 hours and streets flood with sewerage water,” said Al-Sulaimani. “I think the municipality does not realize the gravity of the situation.”
The constant stench and lakes of sewage prevent children from playing in the streets, for fear of infection. Housewives avoid going out because they are surrounded by filth.
“One of the women tried to cross the street and she slipped and fell on sewerage water and children were laughing at her,” said Al-Sulaimani.
Ali Ahmad asked when the municipality was going to pay a visit to see how bad the situation has become.
“When are we going to receive equal treatment like other neighborhoods in terms of services? When are we going to be able to open windows and smell fresh air? When will our children go outside to play like normal children?”
