JEDDAH, 4 July 2005 — The residents of Guwaiza and Al-Musaied neighborhoods east of the Jeddah-Makkah Expressway and Al- Sulaimaniya neighborhood west of the expressway have asked Water and Electricity Minister Abdullah Al-Hussayen for help. They have urged the authorities to put an end to the water shortage problem, Al-Madinah newspaper reported. The situation has gone on for 28 days without a solution.
Some residents were so frustrated that they moved to neighborhoods in Jeddah which have no problem with the water supply. Some moved in with relatives or to furnished apartments while still others moved to hotels.
Ahmad Al-Zahrani, a resident of Al-Musaied neighborhood, said: “Can you believe that water has been cut off in our neighborhood for weeks without any official doing anything? We went to the water department and spoke to officials but nothing has happened. They promised action in a few days but it has been almost a month and the problem has not been solved.”
Saeed Al-Subhi said the residents only want equal treatment with other Jeddah neighborhoods. He said: “I understand that there is a network system and water comes to neighborhoods on a fixed schedule. Up to now, our turn has not come. Water should be distributed based on priority, not based on who lives in the neighborhood. Even our mosques are suffering from the lack of water and we have had no choice but to pay for water tankers to come every three days.”
