20,000 dilapidated buildings in Jeddah need urgent attention

There are an estimated 20,000 dilapidated buildings in Jeddah needing urgent attention, a source at the municipality said recently.
It would take six years to renovate these buildings, the source said in a report published by local media.
An additional 1,000 properties are in such a poor state that they pose a threat to lives and property. The city has already demolished 200 of these buildings, said the source, who preferred to remain anonymous.
He said the condition of the 20,000 buildings was “very bad,” but this could be solved through extensive renovations.
The municipality had signed two separate contracts with contractors to repair 1,000 buildings each. Eighty percent of this work is almost complete.
Owners are obliged to carry out renovation works, and demolish a building if necessary.
The municipality’s committee handling the project includes the Civil Defense, traffic department, the police, Saudi Electricity Company, the Ministry of Social Affairs, and the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA).
The SCTA is involved because some of the buildings are important for historic and heritage reasons.
The source said the work would be divided into two phases, with each tackling 10,000 buildings over a total of six years.