Saudi Gazette report MAKKAH — Apart from the ongoing largest ever expansion in the history of the Grand Mosque, Makkah is currently witnessing several massive development projects. There are several multi-billion construction projects under various phases of implementation in the Central Area and other parts of the city. Thousands of old buildings have been demolished to make way for new multistory residential and commercial towers and buildings. All of this means piles and piles of debris at various sites in the city which has created a thriving business for a large number of overstayers and other illegal aliens who, according to real estate experts, are collecting scrap metal and other construction waste and selling it for a hefty profit, Al-Madinah daily reported recently. Experts estimate the volume of construction waste left behind at various sites in Makkah at tens of thousands of tons. It is alleged that illegals earn up to SR10,000 per day from the sale of scrap metal, mainly iron and aluminum. Part of the blame, experts claim, lies with construction companies carrying out projects; instead of fully utilizing construction waste through recycling, companies instead choose to dump the waste and let illegals sort through it by hand. Abdul Aziz Al-Thaqfi, a real estate expert, said present demolition works and in the coming few years would leave behind more than 700,000 tons of scrap metal, including iron, aluminum and materials for recycling and re-manufacturing. “Contracting companies and firms implementing the projects are not taking advantage of these materials, and therefore, they are being stolen and sold at retail rates,” he said. Meanwhile, prominent scholar Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Muhammad said collecting construction material from sites of demolished buildings without the permission of owners can be considered theft and is therefore not permissible under any circumstances. According to the newspaper report, more than 500 overstayers and illegal aliens are engaged in collecting construction waste and selling it at scrapyards. Adam Ibrahim, a worker at the Central Area in Ghazza, said that most of the construction waste sold by illegals is scrap iron and aluminum. “They collect windows, doors, furniture and other materials left behind by owners of demolished buildings demolished,” he said. A number of African nationals, who declined to disclose their names, said they collect scrap metal and other waste materials from sites of demolished buildings. There are also several Arab and Asian nationals engaged in the thriving business. Muhammad Nur, who works at a scrap yard, said that price of scrap aluminum is nearly six times higher than that of iron. “They get SR800 for a ton of scrap iron while the price for a ton of aluminum is SR5,000. A large number of illegal residents bring in scrap metal collected from demolished buildings in Ghazza, Misfala and other areas close to the Grand Mosque to our yard for sale,” said Nur while adding that owners of demolished buildings often ask scrapyards to collect the scrap metal at less than market prices. However, not all owners approve or are even aware that scrap metal is being removed from their properties. Jabar Al-Ghamdi, owner of a demolished building, said that a group of Africans gathered at the site of his building and removed scrap metal without his permission. “They are all over the city and we don't have any means to stop them.”
