After years of drought, Allah blessed the city of Jeddah with rainfall a couple of weeks ago. Although the rainfall lasted for only half an hour, those 30 minutes were enough to uncover the true face of the Bride of the Red Sea. All the colors, paints and exterior decorations that had adorned streets and buildings were wiped away exposing the malpractice many officials have been committing.
Water-filled holes, cracks and bumps in the streets began trapping motorists. In certain areas cars were unable to move and traffic jams quickly appeared. It was at this time that I began wondering where all the responsible road authorities were? Where were the municipality and its employees to sort out this chaos?
We witnessed newly paved sidewalks transform into piles of dirt as if they were made out of paper. Parking lots turned into lakes of water. Don’t you think planning authorities should have taken such scenarios into consideration?
Where did all the sewage projects go and the billions of riyals spent to repair the network? We saw our streets turn into rivers after a few raindrops that lasted for a mere 30 minutes. I wonder what would have happened to the city if the rain continued for a few hours? To be fair, the sewage system, unlike before, was able to contain the rainwater in some areas. However, we saw that the problem still exists.
I have much to say regarding the way the police dealt with the problems that morning. As traffic lights at almost all intersections went out of order, police failed to show up to organize the flow of vehicles. Many streets looked like sardine cans and the traffic stopped completely for hours. The ignorance of some drivers made matters even more complicated. I would like to praise the volunteers who braved the rain and stood in the middle of road guiding traffic in the absence of the traffic police who mysteriously disappeared.
The attitude of the electricity company is both saddening and alarming. All power transformers in the city are uncovered and everyone knows the potential dangers they pose in bad weather, especially in the old districts. There is also the problem of power cuts affecting both public and private institutions and of course the traffic lights.
Where were the officials responsible for the city’s different projects? Have they learned any lesson on how to improve their work and develop a sense of civic responsibility? Will they take into consideration these details in future projects?
Will the municipal officials who neglected their duties ever be made accountable?
