JEDDAH — Informed sources at Jeddah Municipality have blamed the inundation of some residential districts in north Jeddah following recent rains to a technical mistake in the construction of a floodwater drainage canal, in addition to high groundwater levels. "The floodwater canal in the area was designed to prevent overflow of water to the residential districts but the engineers did not foresee rainwater flowing into the can from the districts," one source told Makkah daily. He said the districts were supposed to be linked with the flood canal through a rainwater drainage system to prevent accumulation of water inside residential districts during heavy rains. The source emphasized the need to construct rainwater drainage systems and sink wells to lower the level of groundwater. "The flood canal was constructed without linking it with a drainage system in surrounding districts," another source said. Northern residential districts still suffer from sludge created by accumulation of rainwater. "This situation has affected the smooth movement of people and vehicles, especially through non-asphalted roads." An informed source at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs said they had received complaints from the residents of Asala District four months ago about a lack of municipal services. The complaint has been passed to the mayoralty to take necessary action. Makkah daily contacted Sami Al-Ghamdi, director of the media center at the municipality, for his comments on technical mistakes in the construction of the floodwater canal, but he did not respond to questions sent to the email address he had provided.
