JEDDAH: Petrochemical giant Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) has donated SR50 million to support victims of Jeddah flood as well as people who have been displaced by fighting along the southern border in Jazan province.
Prince Saud bin Abdullah bin Tunayyan, chairman of the Royal Commission and SABIC, announced the donation on Saturday during a meeting with Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal.
“SABIC will give SR25 million to reduce the suffering of people inflicted by torrential floods in Jeddah and SR25 million to provide shelter to those who have left their villages in Jazan,” said Prince Saud, adding that the donation was made out of SABIC’s social responsibility.
Jeddah flood victims need more such donations as 70 percent of houses damaged by the deluge are not good for living, said Brig. Muhammad Al-Qarni, director of the media center at the Civil Defense.
In a related development, the committee investigating the reasons behind the Nov. 25 catastrophe in Jeddah has called for the files of Jeddah’s deputy mayors in charge of construction during the past 30 years.
The committee has also called for the files of 13 officials in leadership positions including three retired staff because of their direct involvement in the construction of roads and bridges that were damaged as a result of floods.
Informed sources said the officials to be questioned by the committee included those who were in charge of building King Abdullah Underpass, the southern canal near the Prince Fawaz projects, construction of roads on mountains, and those officials who approved construction of houses and buildings in wadis.
The deputy mayors to be called for questioning include those who worked during the time of mayors Muhammad Farisi, Muhammad Qattan, Khaled Abdul Ghani, Nazih Naseef, Abdul Fattah Fouad, Abdullah Al-Muallami and Adel Fakieh.
Meanwhile, Mayor Fakieh on Saturday told officials in his organization to apply regulations and instructions that protect the rights of citizens and prevent encroachment on public lands.
He was speaking to reporters after visiting the Abu Jaala area on Friday in order to hear the complaints of people on the measures taken by a committee in charge of removing encroachment.
The municipality in south Jeddah has filled a large pool created by rains. It covered an area of 4,000 square meters. The municipality is also working to fill five more large pools of standing water left by rains in Ajawid inside residential districts.
Abdullah Al-Ghamdi, chairman of Baladiya Al-Janub, said his workers have filled a swamp with a width of 3,000 square meters and a depth of three meters near Al-Rajhi Mosque. Another swamp in Ajawid with a width of 1,000 square meters has also been filled. The municipality is also spraying insecticide to exterminate mosquitoes. “We have set up a database for all the small and big swamps created by rains and we are continuing our efforts to fill them in order to prevent production of disease-carrying mosquitoes,” the official said.
— With input from Muhammad Humaidan
