JEDDAH: Frequenters of the Corniche have renewed their complaints at a coastline littered with unpleasant seaweed, repugnant odors from the water due to offshore sewage outlets, and the number of illegal immigrants in search of any work that comes their way. Bahjat Hamouh, head of Municipality Facilities and Gardens at the Jeddah Mayor's Office, said the presence of illegal residents was also having a “detrimental effect” on a number of gardens and other public places, causing damage to the greenery. “It causes resentment from visitors who say that dangerous accidents occur because of children riding quad bikes,” he said. “We work with the police to maintain public safety at gardens and the seafront and to keep it free from illegal immigrants and particularly those who hire out motorbikes and give horse rides. It's one of the biggest problems we have.” Hamouh said the mayoralty has called for such activities to be given designated sites so that they can be conducted in a safe and organized manner, and he also appealed to the public to refrain from using the horses for rides as they “are not clean and may cause infections”. Visitors to the Corniche, whose numbers surge during the school holidays as families from the city and beyond head to the sea, also lament the unsightly graffiti and generally poor levels of cleanliness that often prevent them from staying. “I hope things can be improved,” said Ali Maqboul. “As it stands, things are in a disastrous state. Let's hope that all the projects they talk about in the media come to fruition.” A clean-up campaign was carried out at the Jeddah Corniche last week, however, with notices put up to encourage the public to refrain from littering the area.
