Residents of Qauzain District in Jeddah have urged authorities to provide it with basic infrastructure facilities and services including paved roads to end their suffering. "Sixty years have passed after the formation of our district. Still authorities have not shown any mercy toward us by meeting our welfare requirements," said Saeed Al-Lahyani. The Jeddah Mayoralty and Jeddah Municipal Council have not shown any interest to enhance infrastructure and service facilities in Qauzain. "We are still using unpaved roads to reach our homes," Al-Lahyani told Al-Madina Arabic daily, which published a detailed report on the district's pathetic situation to draw authorities' attention. He said the main road to the district has been damaged despite residents' efforts to repair it. "During the rainy season, its streets will be flooded and it will take weeks to remove the water by residents. This has resulted in spreading infectious diseases among people," he added. Abdullah Hekami said the district has become a disorganized industrial or warehouse city. "A number of disorganized warehouses have been established in the district and this has resulted in the appearance of garbage all over the place," he explained. Some of these warehouses store inflammable substances, endangering lives and security of people living in the district, Hekami said. "Many of these warehouses operate late in the night and we don't know what kind of activities take place there," he added. Hekami also spoke about illegal occupation of public land by some people who use the place to park trucks and run automobile workshops. Aamir Al-Qarni said the district was lacking cleaning services. Garbage is accumulated in different parts of the district due to delay in arrival of municipal cleaning workers. "Sometimes, municipality cleaners come after two months. This situation has led to the spread of bad smell and making the district a breeding ground for rats and mosquitoes. "You cannot find even garbage boxes in the district," Al-Qarni told Al-Madina. Abdul Majeed Al-Batati, chairman of the municipal council, gave a lukewarm response when Al-Madina approached him to convey the residents' concern. He said the municipal council was not responsible for the poor services in Qauzain. "Contact the mayoralty, municipality and government departments to know their plans to improve services. Our duty is just to review reports and information given by the mayoralty," Al-Batati said. Dr. Adnan Al-Bar, deputy chairman of the council, refused to make any statement on the issue, saying it was the prerogative of the chairman. Al-Madina tried to contact the mayoralty to get its comment on the issue but the paper did not receive any response either from the mayor or its spokesman.
