“Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah wants implementation of the development projects in East Jeddah immediately without any delay,” the governor said after attending a ceremony held to sign contracts for the schemes.
He said a high-level committee appointed by the king to investigate the reasons behind the Jeddah floods completed its mission in a record time of three months.
He said the development of East Jeddah covers a vast area. “It’s the largest project ever witnessed by Jeddah in its history,” the governor said, adding a monthly report would be issued on the project’s progress.
Prince Khaled emphasized the need to carry out the projects in the best manner. “We don’t have any excuse to accept faulty projects and we don’t have any excuse for negligence. We’ll monitor the work of companies implementing the project,” he said.
King Abdullah took personal interest in tackling the problems created by the deluge and ordered plans for the overall development of the area, providing it with modern facilities.
The king also ordered that the cases of all those accused of complicity in the November floods be referred to the Control and Investigation Board and the Prosecution and Investigation Commission. The floods killed at least 123 people and destroyed thousands of homes and vehicles.
Jeddah Mayor Hani Aburas thanked King Abdullah for approving the East Jeddah development projects and commended Prince Khaled’s efforts to make the cities of Makkah province world-class.
Tareq Al-Telmesani, CEO of Jeddah Development and Urban Regeneration Company (JDURC), said one contract was signed to raise the topography of some 1,000 square kilometers over a 12-month period.
A second contract was signed with a company for conducting a detailed survey of the area and drawing maps for all pieces of land in the area. Another contract was for conducting aerial photography, to be carried out over nine months.
A real estate register will also be prepared within eight weeks for registration of real estate properties, appropriation of land and payment of compensation.
A number of emergency projects for Wadi Qous, Wadi Mathoub and Wadi Ghalil have been signed, Al-Telmesani said, adding that they would be completed in 540 days.
The Wadi Qous projects include three dams with lengths ranging between 117 and 297 meters and between 11 and 15 meters in height. A covered canal with a length of 4,470 meters and two open canals with a length of 2,800 and 1,950 meters will also be built.
The Wadi Mathoub projects include two dams with a length of 237 and 539 meters, a covered canal 2,880 meters long and an open concrete canal with a length of 12,500 meters and another open canal with a length of 825 meters. The Wadi Ghalil projects comprise five open canals with a length of 4,500 meters and a covered canal 2,880 meters long.
Another contract has been signed to repair floodwater drainage canals damaged in last year's deluge. It included designs and plans for the repair of the southern canal that takes water to the Red Sea, the eastern canal that takes water to Obhur as well as maintenance of the northern canal.
He said three centers would be established to monitor and remove any encroachment on land, adding that they would be set up in the Dahban, Aziziya and Ameer Fawaz districts. A seventh contract was signed to supervise development projects in East Jeddah.
