There are a total of 18,851 buildings located in 52 unplanned areas in the city that are unsafe and not built according to proper engineering standards, according to a city official. Khaled Zaini, Chairman of the Dilapidated Buildings Committee and Director General of Jeddah's Emergency Department, added that most houses in the city's unplanned areas are not safe and cannot withstand natural forces. Zaini said that there are no plans to remove these buildings. However, a study on the condition of the buildings is being reviewed by the committee. An engineering office is identifying those buildings that require immediate removal. Any action will be implemented by a committee comprising police, Civil Defense, Social Insurance, municipality, the electricity company and traffic police. Dr. Tariq Fadaq, a member of the Shoura Council and Jeddah Municipal Council, said the proportion of unplanned areas in the city is “very worrying and unacceptable. The number is frightening and we fear an urban disaster,” he said. “The matter requires rapid assessment and a reduction of the number of dilapidated buildings through fixing and removal.” He said the municipal council's Urban Committee “will hold an emergency meeting” to discuss the situation “that is unacceptable to us and to the city's inhabitants”. Zaini said the unsafe houses were built “in a rush” because the owners had built them on encroached government land. They wanted to avoid the scrutiny of encroachment committees from the municipality and the Emir's Office. “The dangerous buildings are concentrated in Al-Suhaifa, Al-Bughdadiya and Al-Ammariya districts and some other areas.” Some six-floor buildings were built on poor foundations and are in danger of collapse, he added.
