Hani Ba Hasan Okaz/Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Authorities still believe Jeddah's Al-Sharafiyah neighborhood is a well-maintained area even though it has become rundown over the last few years, according to local residents. It used to be inhabited by the city's rich merchants and filled with the aroma of incense, they said. However, they claimed it is now haphazardly crowded and needs attention. Many residents are considering relocating to other neighborhoods due to the lack of essential services in the district. Residents claimed the neighborhood is infested with rats as a result of the rising piles of waste. Expatriate workers have also flocked to the neighborhood, adding to the problem. Some residents have put up signs pleading with others not to dump their garbage in the neighborhood. Swarms of mosquitoes are finding an ideal environment in the piles of garbage and the drainage water that is seeping into the streets. Residents claim that drinking water is polluted with sewage. There is no secondary school in the neighborhood and students have to enroll in schools at Kilo 2 on the old Makkah Road. Public transport buses do not frequent the neighborhood, and students and residents have to rely on other more expensive means of transportation. Spokesman for Jeddah Municipality Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Nahari admitted there is a problem with garbage in the neighborhood. One contractor was fined for negligence, Al-Nahari said. He, however, added that the narrow streets prevented garbage trucks from entering the neighborhood. The contractor had no choice but to rely on cleaning workers, he said. Abdullah Al-Assaf, the director of the National Water Company's Jeddah branch, denied the company has received many complaints about polluted water in the district. He said if there is such a problem, the company is equipped to deal with it immediately. He added the company would send a team to examine the water in the neighborhood.
