Part of Hail street has turned into a sewage pool.

The National Water Company (NWC) has promised to provide the densely populated neighborhoods of Jeddah a sewerage network by the end of 2018.

Muhammad Alzahrani, unit production manager at the NWC, told Arab News recently that the company has allocated more than SR100 million for projects across the city.
He said neighborhoods that need the drainage include Safa, Marwah, Al-Haramain, Al-Bawadi and Petromin.

“In addition to the project that will cover the neighborhoods of Jeddah with drainage networks, efforts will be made to lower the level of the underground water,” he said.

He said the company has divided the city into four sections. Work has already started in several areas with contractors conducting excavations. It was likely the work would be completed by 2018. “Already about 60 to 70 percent of the work has been completed,” he said.

The middle northern sector of the city includes the neighborhoods of Al-Aziziya, Al-Mushrafa, Al-Hamra, Al-Faisaliya, Al-Rawdha, Al-Khalediya, Al-Bawadi, Al-Salama, Al-Muhammadiya, Al-Nuzha, Al-Rabwah, Al-Safa, Al-Shati, Al-Nahda, Al-Zahra, Al-Naeim and Al-Samer.

The sewage from these neighborhoods would be pumped to the Matar 1 treatment station currently in full operation, said Alzahrani. Work is under way to establish the Matar 2 treatment station with a capacity of 500,000 cubic meters a day.

Work on the main networks and tunnels in these neighborhoods are 95 percent complete, while the sub-networks are 80 percent complete. The contracting company is expected to complete most of the house connections by 2017, he said.

The northern border sector includes the neighborhoods of Dahban, Al-Sultan, Al-Hamdaniya, Al-Wafa, Al-Falah, Al-Majid, Al-Salheya and Al-Aziziya, he said. Work is under way on the main networks and tunnels, with 60 percent of the work already completed.

The bids for the implementation of the sub-networks and house connections would be put out to tender soon, he said.

The middle southern section includes the neighborhoods of Al-Adel, Al-Mutanazahat, Al-Rawabi, Kilo 14, Prince Fawaz Housing Complex, Al-Sanable, the Southern Housing complex, Al-Balad, south and east Al-Bagdadiya, Al-Amariya, Al-Tha’aleb and Al-Hindawiya.

The sewage of these neighborhoods would be drained to the Al-Kamrah 4 treatment station. Work on the tunnels and main networks are 90 percent complete and 60 percent of the sub-networks have been done. Work is progressing on the rest of the sub-networks and house connections would be completed in 2017, he said.

The far south area section includes the neighborhoods of Al-Rahma, Al-Karama, Al-Tadamon, Al-Taawon, Al-Sarwat, Al-Wadi, Al-Sahel, Al-Qwizen and Al-Melessa. The house connections would be 85 percent complete by the end of next year, he said.

The NWC has already installed 45,000 house connections in Jeddah, he said.

That’s for the future.

Currently, the despicable condition of the city’s roads is a sight to behold. Part of Hail Street off Palestine Street has turned into a pool of foul-smelling sewage water creating a health hazard.

The area has been swamped with sewage water for the past few weeks posing problems for the area’s residents including pedestrians, shopkeepers and motorists. As the situation worsens, the residents have complained to the municipality to address the problem but there has been no response yet.

“The area has become a sewage pond with the overbearing stench driving customers away. The sewage system failed over a week ago causing the contaminated water to spill onto the road and gather in the faults creating a dam of sorts disrupting traffic,” said Slahudeen Ahmed, a shopkeeper in the area, adding that the foul smell makes it difficult to breathe and business is being affected as customers find it difficult to cross over to the shops on either side of the road.

He said that the accumulated water is a breeding ground for flies and mosquitoes which are carriers of air-borne diseases.

Asad Ali Musa, a motorist, said that the street is a hazard zone owing to the bad smell emanating from the sewage water. “The water is also causing potholes in the street which is damaging cars,” he said.

“My primary concern is my boys who can’t play football outside anymore. Secondly, the foul smell and the dirty water is a cause for embarrassment when I invite guests to my house,” said Umm Abdullah, adding that the government should resolve this problem.
“They are coming out with so many new projects but they can’t fix the sewage system of the area,” she lamented.