RIYADH — The Ministry of Housing needs 215 million sq. meters of empty land to be able to complete its housing projects in 23 regions of Makkah and Qassim provinces. Quoting informed sources, Al-Hayat newspaper said the ministry's needs in Makkah Province alone are 195 million sq. meters, of which it has only been able to secure about 41 million square meters. The sources said the available land in Qassim Province that the ministry can use to construct its housing projects only covers 14.5 million sq. meters. They said the deficit in both provinces is 160 million sq. meters, consisting of 154 million sq. meters in Makkah and 6 million sq. meters in Qassim. According to the sources, Makkah Province is the hardest hit by the shortage of empty land. Jeddah alone needs 79.3 million sq. meters, representing about 80 percent of the city's needs. In the holy city of Makkah the deficit is about 45 million sq. meters, representing about 90 percent of its needs. The sources said the land deficit in Taif is 19 million sq. meters, representing about 60 percent of the ministry's need for empty land in the city, while the deficit in Qunfudah is 3.5 million sq. meters. According to the sources, the deficit in Jamoom is 1.9 million sq. meters, 1.8 million sq. meters in Tarabah, 1 million sq. meters in Ranyah, 750,000 sq. meters in Al-Khurmah, 690,000 sq. meters in Al-Laith, 550,000 sq. meters in Rabigh and Khulais each and 400,000 sq. meters in Al-Kamil. The land deficit in Al-Ras region, Qassim Province, is 2.2 million sq. meters, 1.25 million sq. meters in Buraidah and 1 million sq. meters in Unaizah. The ministry recently announced that it needed about 90 million sq. meters of empty land to build housing projects in 12 regions of Riyadh Province.
