It has been nothing short of a tragedy for Ghazi Al-Majnoni and his wife and two children aged 14 and 17, who now find themselves living in a tent under the scorching summer sun. The Saudi family was forced to abandon their dilapidated house after torrential rain hit the city 10 months ago and destroyed it. This left them no choice but to live in a tent. Al-Majnoni, the family breadwinner who is in his forties, said that he has tried his best to repair the house but has been unsuccessful. His problems have been aggravated because he suffered a stroke in 2007 and cannot work. He said his doctors advised him not to work to avoid any further complications which might lead to his death. Before his retirement he took out a loan of SR100,000 which allowed him to buy a small house for his family. The house was not strong enough to withstand the heavy rains which lashed the city, he said. First, part of the roof caved in and eventually the entire house collapsed and turned into a heap of rubble. “This was not the end of our troubles, the water tank which we depended on for drinking water corroded and turned into a sieve. So we also lost our source of water.” Al-Majnoni said they have tried to adapt to the tough weather conditions but it has become increasingly difficult as the mercury has continued to soar in Makkah to a blistering 47.2 degrees Celsius. “This has made our life very tough because we cannot stand the harsh sun and hot wind. The tent has become as hot as an oven.” He added that he has not been given any relief because now the bank is chasing him to pay his installments on the house loan. He said he gets a SR3,500 monthly pension, from which he pays SR2,035 as an installment for his car which he had bought while he was working. “What is left for us,” he lamented. He said they are now living on charity from other people. But he wonders for how long they will be able to go on living like this.
