MAEENA Whoever we may be, the city we live in is our address to the world. And it does not matter if we are a Saudi or an expatriate, an Asian or a European or young or old. We are all components in the dynamics that make up the metropolis we live in. It is with a tinge of alarm that I sense that Jeddah, the city I live in, has been getting progressively messier and dirtier. Perhaps this is because such apparent eyesores conflict so dramatically with the routine announcements by our city officials on how vastly improved our town has become. The civic sense that should be developed through the populace is vanishing in the face of other priorities such as making a living or sending enough money home. And one of the losers is the duty of each and every one of us in ensuring that we keep our city clean. The enormous load of refuse we discard on our streets and roads everyday seems to be simply too much for the poor Asian municipal cleaners to deal with. To drive home the point, a European consul general sent me the following: “I drive every day on a short distance of road from my house to the office. The dirt along with the ‘flying objects' these days blowing with the wind is incredible. Somehow it looks to me that the best efforts of the City administration cannot deal any more with the refuse resting in the streets. “I fear for the next rain, for it will not be the mass of water or the missing drainage facilities that will be the cause of floods but the garbage blocking the inlets of the existing drainage canals. Could not a national weekend of cleaning up Jeddah be advertised and promoted with the simple message: ‘The inhabitants of each house, each block, just clean in front, behind and at the sides of your dwelling up to the middle border of the next house/block.' “With a joint and spirited effort many streets and alleys could be freed immediately from these flying objects and Jeddah could become a little bit more hospitable for its residents for a while. Maybe, the cleaning department could then cope again with the accumulating litter. I am a guest here. If I do not like it, I can leave the country. Still so long as I am here, I feel something. Seriously, it pains me to see all this refuse, when, with a little effort, it could be much different.” While it is indeed a novel and workable idea, it will not absolve those who persist in making this city dirty. Very few do it out of ignorance. It is more like they feel that there's someone around the corner who will soon pick up their trash. Their laziness is why trash is not bagged and put in appropriate containers. Litter including empty soda cans is flung out of the windows of speeding vehicles and onto sidewalks, or is dropped in the street as people wander about the city. Paper or plastics are thrown out just about everywhere except in the nearest garbage can. All faiths stress the importance of cleanliness in our manner of living. That means following those practices that contribute to a clean society. While a father can preach to his children the importance of keeping our neighborhoods and cities clean, it must be taught by example. A father who carelessly dumps trash out of his car window while driving and without giving it a further thought is often observed by his offspring, who in turn one day will do the same. An employer or a fellow worker not committed to this civic duty can inadvertently influence others to adopt bad habits. This city is our address. And to take pride in it, we must ensure that we commit ourselves to the promotion and actual act of cleaning up. And that applies to all of us who are residents of this address. This is my first column for the Saudi Gazette and the first of many I hope. Readers are encouraged to participate and comment with their views. (The author can be reached at [email protected]) __
