Okaz/Saudi Gazette

MAKKAH – Residents of the Kaakiya district in Makkah have called upon the authorities to shift its sheep market to a new location as the market creating high pollution in the neighborhood, which accommodates thousands of Haj and Umrah pilgrims during peak seasons.

Kaakiya residents are disappointed as the Makkah municipality has so far ignored their request to shift the sheep market to an area away from residential districts.

Over the past 36 years, the market has been contributing to the pollution of this Makkah district, which is filled with a nasty smell that aggravates the condition of asthmatic people and others with respiratory problems.

The residents wonder why the authorities have been keeping this market in the middle of a residential district where hundreds of thousands of pilgrims arrive every year as it is situated just 8 km away from the Grand Mosque.

Abdullah Al-Attas described the sheep market in Kaakiya as a big menace to its residents. “It spreads a nasty smell and provides an ideal breeding ground for disease-carrying mosquitoes and flies,” he told Okaz/Saudi Gazette.

The market was built in the area some four decades ago. “The municipality has not taken any initiative to shift the market to another place in response to recurrent requests of residents,” Al-Attas said.

He cited the action taken by the Jeddah Municipality to shift the city’s sheep market away from residential areas to the suburbs of Al-Khumra as an example to be copied.

“The bad smell emanating from the market has been spreading pulmonary diseases among the residents,” he added.

“The situation becomes worse during the rainy season when floodwaters carry cattle dung mixed with fodder to all over the district,” he explained.

Saad Al-Nadwi expressed his disappointment over the authorities’ uncaring attitude toward the residents of Kaakiya who have been calling for shifting the sheep market to another place since the day it was established there about 36 years ago.

“It’s high time to save us from this environmental catastrophe,” he said and urged the municipality to take immediate steps to move the market to a place away from the residential areas. He said the municipality had identified a new location for the market long ago.

Hassan Khazaee, who has invested in the vegetable market, said the bad smell coming from the sheep market has negatively affected his business. “People are reluctant to purchase vegetables from us as they are afraid that our products would be contaminated due to environmental pollution,” he said.

Khazaee said the municipality did not take any action in response to the complaints of the vendors. “We don’t know the reason why the municipality is not shifting the market to the new location near Waliy Al-Ahd residential district even though the site was readied for the purpose five years ago,” he added.

Khazaee also pointed out that many sheep owners refused to take their animals to the new location due to unfinished infrastructure. “I hope the municipality would complete the infrastructure in the new place and shift the market there as quickly as possible,” he told Okaz/Saudi Gazette.

“The present market in Kaakiya undermines the Kingdom’s global reputation as the nasty smell from it will leave bad memories on thousands of foreign pilgrims who happen to stay in the district every year,” he added.