JEDDAH, 14 October 2007 — Several people in Jeddah had to celebrate this year’s Eid Al-Fitr in disgust and frustration without a bath. Instead they waited in long lines in front of the water distribution plant at Jeddah’s Kilo 14 late into the night.
The office remained virtually closed while hundreds of people were queuing up hoping the to secure a water-truck delivery for the Eid holiday.
The distribution system at the center involves waiting first at the counter for a number coupon and then at another line to get the truck filled with water.
The new system was implemented last year to make the process more orderly, but customers question the need to venture out to acquire water saying that going to a water center to ensure delivery to a location is cumbersome and should be more automated and hands off.
Abu Saeed, a Saudi in his early 40s who owns a restaurant in Jeddah’s Corniche area recommended some kind of sub-contract process in order to make the distribution easier for the customers. “If the sub-contractors have numbers that include our addresses and all other details so that we can just call up the center, order water and, once we’re logged in, they can bill us like they do for electricity,” he said.
Majed Al-Samadani, a resident of Al-Jamia district, said he decided to buy a truck of water at SR400 in the black market when he learned that some people were waiting at water distribution plant since the previous day.
Another Saudi, Abdullah Al-Jahdali, explained the grueling experience to obtain a few gallons of water. “After waiting over six hours Thursday night we were told to come at 7 a.m. on Friday. Instead of going for the Eid prayers I went to the water distribution center because I did not want to miss my water by any chance. But no official was present there. At about 9 a.m. officials began to come in. Thank God, I got my number coupon at around noon. Then I had to wait two more hours in the sun for my turn for the water,” he said.
