What is happening these days in our country is unacceptable. Why has the number of people who have died as a result of falling into manholes increased, especially in Jeddah? Why are our children dying like this?
Allow me to list some recent headlines on this issue and a few older ones as well. “Five-year-old falls in manhole, body recovered nine hours later” (published on 09/05/2015); “Child falls in manhole, body recovered after 19 hours” (published on 05/05/2015); “Eight-year old child falls in uncovered manhole in Jeddah” (published on 28/03/2015); “17-year-old high school student dies inside Jeddah manhole” (published on 16/11/2014); and “Father and son fall in manhole and die on Jeddah's Al-Tahlia Street” (published on 11/10/2014).
There is a sad story behind each of these incidents. The father who died in a manhole along with his little boy had just returned from the US having completed his postgraduate studies there.
What are the causes of these deaths? I think there are two main reasons. Some people steal manhole covers which they then sell for SR500 each. They would not be stealing them if there were no buyers. We should, therefore, have strict laws in place to combat thieves and those who handle stolen goods. The majority of these thieves are expatriate workers. They should be strictly punished and deported. Of course, the buyers should also be punished.
Local municipalities are always able to fine homeowners if they discover that their water tanks have overflowed and caused large puddles on the road. However, they fail to locate uncovered manholes and fine those responsible. I am sure that the local municipalities have maps which indicate were manholes are located in our cities.
We know that manholes usually have two covers, one on the top and one below. The one on the top is usually made from steel and is the one that is usually stolen. The lower one is usually made of wire mesh and is half a meter in length. This second cover is designed to prevent people from falling into manholes and acts as additional protection if the top lid is removed.
How can a city with a SR4.5 billion budget for implementing 141 projects in 2015 fail to stop floods? Why are the drainage networks in this city still incomplete? How do officials get away with shirking their responsibilities?
I hope that the contractors implementing these projects are held responsible. These companies should be banned from acquiring contracts and should pay blood money to victims. The persons responsible should be imprisoned and treated as criminals.
I further request people to be cautious when walking. Keep your eyes on the ground and be constantly aware of the danger of falling into an uncovered manhole.
