The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs has been approached for the quick approval of budgetary allocations for the demolition of dilapidated buildings in the city, Khaled Zaini, head of the Buildings Committee at Jeddah Mayoralty, has said. There are about 8,000 dilapidated buildings in the governorate, Zaini said. The problem with these buildings, he explained, is that apart from being old, residents have installed water tanks on the roofs of the buildings adding an increased load which hastens their collapse. Landlords owning old buildings are required to obtain fitness certificates from the relevant municipal departments before renting out the buildings, he said. The move by the mayoralty has come after the recent collapse of a building in Al-Sahefa District that resulted in the death of a number of residents. The collapsed building was on the list of those to be demolished but which were not razed due to the lack of budgetary allocations.
