Sewage floods Jeddah streets

Neighborhoods in the Aziziah and Safa districts in Jeddah have been suffering from an overflow of sewage water for weeks.
Several lanes along Prince Miteb Street, commonly known as Arbaeen Street, are flooded with sewage water.
The problem is even more acute on Sahafa Street in the Aziziah district near the traffic signal on Mualiffien Street, where pedestrian schoolchildren and women are routinely splashed by speeding cars as they cross the street.
Such contaminated water poses a major health hazard and increases the risk of developing dengue fever. In fact, areas where water is stagnant are becoming breeding grounds for mosquitoes and disease-bearing insects.
“We have been suffering the foul odor emanating from these swamps for over three weeks now,” said Zeba Ahmed, an Indian expatriate who lives in the area. “Several female students attending the local Qur’anic school are not able to walk there due to these floods.”
“I am concerned for my children’s health amid the spread of dengue fever and the unresolved issue of sewage flooding in the area,” said Syed Kaleem, another resident.
“I am skeptical about authorities fixing this problem any time soon,” said Mohammed Khan, a Pakistani resident.
Several locations along the Faisaliah district are also suffering from the same problem.
Stagnant sewage water is also causing road damage and creating several potholes in the city’s streets, posing a further threat to motorists who cannot see these holes when the streets are flooded.
But Abdulaziz Al-Ghamdi of the Jeddah Municipality says sewage water extraction is the responsibility of the National Water Company.