JEDDAH — A number of residents in Jeddah's Al-Rehab district have complained about the ongoing sewage problems that have plagued the district for over a month. An overflowing sewer on the intersection of Dallah and Al-Tadamun Al-Arabi streets has led to extensive asphalt erosion and a sludge that emits a foul odor throughout the area, according to a report in Al-Madinah Arabic daily. Residents said they were notified by the National Water Company (NWC) that the district's sewage system was ready and they were asked to pay fees so their properties could be connected to the main network lines. However, after paying the fees and securing the connections, they were told the system would not be ready for another nine months, prompting a mixture of water and raw sewage from homes to gush out onto the streets. Resident Abdullah Al-Ghamdi said the NWC allowed residents last month to connect houses on the sewage system and pay the relevant fees. "These are fees for the services. We then discovered that the main network will not be completed for nine months. The water company has been removing overflowing water to cover up for their terrible mistake," said Al-Ghamdi. Another irate resident, Abdul Salam Al-Qahtani, said despite paying fees to the NWC for services that were promised and never delivered, the neighborhood has been left to deal with the foul odor, eroded roads and increase in insects that can potentially spread diseases. "We're all susceptible to diseases and viruses aside from the fact that our streets are decaying and our cars have been damaged," he said. When contacted for comment, the communication manager of the NWC in the Western Region, Khalid Maqbool, said, "The problem of overflowing sewage on the intersection does not fall under the responsibility of the water company. The Jeddah Municipality must handle the situation. The accumulations are from groundwater and not sewage." He confirmed that the NWC has received more than one complaint about the problem and every time, they gave the same response: "It's not the NWC's responsibility."
