Zahrani, a Saudi resident of Al-Rehab District here, claims that he called the mayoralty's emergency telephone number, 940, more than four times to report the work of a contractor who left dangerous electric cables exposed and unmarked holes in the streets, but said no action was taken. “They dug in front of my house and left a long hole with no barriers for two days. They left the cables unprotected. This was a great danger to my grandsons,” said Al-Zahrani. “Whenever a project starts, the contractor not only ignores the residents' safety, but he also leaves the asphalt uneven after finishing the project. This adds more unnecessary bumps and potholes in the street, said Al-Zahrani. “Our problem is not recent. I signed a letter a few years ago, along with my neighbors, complaining to the mayoralty about the increasing underground water level. The water reached the surface and caused a fire in the electricity [station] of the whole area a few days ago.” He said residents believe that the underground water is coming from sewage pipes. Pictures taken for this report show the underground water coming out through the holes and from an incomplete sewage line. This was creating an environment for mosquitoes to breed. “I had to have a separate water tank for my house for drinking and daily use. This is besides the one I had built underground. This is because the water inside is mixed with the underground water and has become contaminated,” said Al-Zahrani. Workers of the project rushed to hide the unprotected cables and brought the barricades only when they saw Saudi Gazette reporter who also had a camera with him. Saudi Gazette met the manager of the project to ask him why it took him two days to protect the site. “This is an emergency project,” said Mohammad, the project manager. “We received the order to fix damage to a cable underground, in one day, but we discovered that the asphalt was thicker than normal. That's why we took a longer time to finish the work,” he said. The manager did provide an answer to why there was a delay in protecting the site, after persistent questions from Saudi Gazette. The project manager said that “we were sent here not knowing anything about the nature of the damage so we did not know what to bring exactly.” Mohammed said that he was responsible for seven other projects in Jeddah. Regarding the failure of Al-Zahrani to get help after calling 940, the mayoralty could not be reached for comment. However, in the past the mayoralty has responded to this issue. A letter was sent to Okaz newspaper on Aug. 22, 2009 by Mohammad Al-Yami, head of the public relations department of the Jeddah Mayoralty, admitting the failure of the mayoralty to respond to all the residents' reports in quick time. Al-Yami stated that 20 percent of the problems reported need a long time to solve. The mayoralty did respond quickly to 80 percent of the complaints, he said.
