Dangerous pits created by the floods will be checked for any dead bodies by the Civil Defense and then handed over to the Jeddah Mayoralty to be filled with soil. Brig. Gen. Muhammad Al-Qahtani, Spokesman for the Directorate of Civil Defense, confirmed that this operation would take place. He said that most of these pits were previously used as dumping areas for waste material from construction sites. The rains had loosened the waste material and soft soil. He said the authorities to be placed in charge of these locations, would be determined by the fact-finding committee that was formed to identify who was responsible for the poor flood preparations. Hejaij Al-Muttairi, District Chief of Quwaizah, said most of these pits were dumping areas for building waste material some 30 years ago. They had disintegrated and were swept away by the heavy rains. He said the current Al-Musa'ed District was constructed on top of some of these pits, which had been covered, leveled with earth, and promoted as areas for construction. Informed sources said that filling the holes with soil is the responsibility of the Jeddah Mayoralty. Three such water-filled pits have caused alarm among residents in southern Jeddah's Al-Tahlawi and Al-Ajaweed planned districts. They are about seven meters deep, according to descriptions provided by residents. They pointed out that these pits are a health hazard and can cause an outbreak of dengue fever. At least ten cases of dengue fever have been detected in flood
