In the wake of protest from residents, the Jeddah Mayoralty says it plans to take legal action against anyone who plans to sell flood-threatened land. The Mayoralty's vow comes after residents of the Brayman District complained that land owners in the area are allegedly trying to disguise the flood-damage on their land. Residents claim that some unscrupulous owners are fixing up pavements, streets and raising the land with soil in preparation for selling it off to unsuspecting buyers. The newly planned areas do not even have sewage or water drainage systems, said residents. In response, Ahmad Al-Ghamdi, Director of the Media Center at the Jeddah Mayoralty, said no-one would be permitted to set up a residential planned district if the necessary infrastructure was not in place. He said the mayoralty has authorized the branch municipalities to monitor the planned districts and to ensure that the infrastructure is complete. He said the work being carried out in some flood-hit districts, specifically the renovation of pavements and the repair of damaged streets, are a “blatant violation” of the Mayoralty's regulations. The furor started when a number of residents of Brayman District and the districts east of the Haramain Highway, saw that work was taking place on land located in valley routes. Muhammad Al-Shareef, a resident of Brayman District, said two planned districts are located on the eastern side of Brayman and fall within the routes of two valleys. Parts of these planned districts were clearly damaged by the recent floodwaters. He claimed that their owners quickly renovated the area to hide the damage sustained in the floods. In addition, he said that the districts do not have sanitation networks or channels to drain away floodwater. Awadh Al-Zahrani, a resident of Braiman, said soil is being used as landfill in the planned districts located on the Al-Haramain Road, west of the Braiman District. The aim is to raise the level of the area, he claimed. He said all the plots in the planned districts are located in a huge pit and are in danger of being inundated, if a flood hits again. Al-Zahrani called on the authorities to inspect the area and take action against those responsible. He said the soil filling was in clear violation of city regulations. He asked who would bear responsibility for this situation, if buildings and houses were constructed in these planned districts, and another flood was to hit Jeddah. Khaled Al-Harbi said the problems of the planned districts in the Brayman area are clear for everyone to see. He said there was a total absence of monitoring by the relevant authorities. Al-Harbi said most of these planned districts, specifically those located between the road leading to Usfan and the Airport Bridge, are within the valley and flood routes. Most have a total lack of any infrastructure that can provide protection if another flood occurs. Al-Harbi called on the authorities to stop work in these planned districts and to send committees to monitor the violations. This will safeguard the lives and properties of citizens, he said.
