The Jeddah Mayoralty will undertake a thorough inspection of Salama neighborhood to look into the complaints from the residents that the area lacks basic facilities.

Abdul Aziz Al-Ghamdi, spokesman for the mayoralty, told Arab News that following the complaints, mayoralty officials will conduct a thorough inspection of the area to identify garbage collection points and remove them.

“A special committee will also record and list the old houses that face the threat of collapse. There will also be regulatory action against abandoned houses, especially those that could collapse. We have also instructed the general roads department at the mayoralty to fix potholes in the streets, and this will be carried out very soon,” he said.

When asked why the mayoralty was slow to respond to the complaints, he said: “People can call 940 to register their complaints. We are sometimes overwhelmed by the calls, but we do our best to respond as effectively and efficiently as possible.”

Several locals complained to Arab News about the negligence and the bad condition of the roads, many of which had turned into dumping sites.

Abdullah Al-Ruwaishid, a resident of the neighborhood, said: “Many streets in the area have no lighting, which makes venturing out at night risky, because there have been many cases of theft and robbery after dark.”

He said most roads in the neighborhood have potholes with asphalt peeled off, not to mention traffic jams during rush hours, since many roads are not wide.

Ahmad Ali said that many abandoned and old houses in the area have become dumping sites. “Many of these places have become a shelter and hiding place for foreign workers who have no residency or work permits,” he said.





“The problem is exacerbated by the acute shortage of garbage containers in the area. Garbage collectors from the mayoralty do not come regularly and garbage piles up,” he said.