JEDDAH: Women dominated the Jeddah city council meeting on Thursday by airing their views on issues close to their hearts at the council’s open session.
Probably getting the opportunity to discuss issues along with other members of society for the first time, young women presented their views on, and in some cases solutions to, the sewage problem and the possibility of setting up animal shelters.
Members of the public meet with the council members one Thursday of every month to discuss issues that concern them and their neighborhood.
One woman asked whether the council would consider a more active role on issues concerning humane treatment of animals in Jeddah. She suggested setting up of shelters to care for these animals.
Another woman asked for more activities to clean up part of Jeddah’s seaside — especially the trash and sewage in the area. They called on officials to impose fines on those who are caught “polluting” the area — even those throwing trash.
They cited last week’s drowning of a woman, later identified as Fatima Al-Saab, as a case in point. They said part of the problem was the sewage pipes in the area. They called for safety measures around these areas.
Tariq Fadak, the council’s head, said the municipality would study all aspects before arriving at a solution. He said all are welcome to the council’s open sessions and hoped constructive opinions would be aired during these meetings.
Also during the discussions, which was attended by more than 25 people from various parts of the city, a complaint from residents of Al-Ain and Al-Salam districts calling for the halt of building houses more than seven floors was brought up. Residents of the two districts pointed out the laxity in applying rules on these buildings and their owners even though they have complained to the municipality on multiple occasions. “Our neighborhood is all villas and there shouldn’t be buildings more than four floors high in the area. Those who want to construct multistory buildings should move elsewhere. We have been living this neighborhood for more than 15 years,” one disaffected resident said.
People from Al-Safa district No.7 were dismayed at what happened to the public park in their area, when it was transformed into a shopping mall.
Fadak said, “We at the city council look at these issues seriously, particularly those concerning pollution of the seaside and its impact on swimmers and tourists.”
With regard to Al-Ain and Al-Salam residents, he said: “We have asked the affected residents to put their complaints on paper and submit them formally. We will hold a public hearing on these ... and based on the hearing we will decide on the proper procedures to solve the issue.”
