Rayan Abu Shusha and Ahmed Allahyani
Okaz/Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH — Almost a week after the heavy rains that lashed Jeddah and other areas on Wednesday, the Red Sea coastal city is still suffering from swamps and water logs though life on several streets has become normal.
Residents of Harazat District in east Jeddah, which was hard hit by the rains and floods of 2009 and 2011, asked the civic authorities to make immediate efforts to drain the clogged waters.
They were more determined to have their neighborhood clean of swamps and logs after Mais Al-Sulami, a three-year-old baby girl, had drowned in one of the swamps.
Her uncle, Mastour Al-Sulami, said his niece came with her mother on Sunday to visit her grandmother when she drowned and died.
He said when her mother wanted to go home, she could not find her daughter and started a frantic search for her everywhere in vain.
He said they started searching in the swamps after one of their neighbors mentioned the possibility of her drowning.
"We found her stuck in the mud in one of the swamps. When we pulled her out, she was already dead," he said.
The bereaved uncle said they took her to a local doctor who examined her and came up with the disturbing news that the little girl had died.
He said the drainage canals have failed to drain the large quantities of water so the district is still soaked in water about a week after the rains.
Sulami said they complained to the municipality several times that the drainage system was not suitable to the topography of the area but nothing was done.
"The rainwater remained stagnant in our neighborhood until the drowning of our beloved girl," he said.
Hani Shuail, an eyewitness, said the entire district was grieved by the tragic death of the little girl who died because of negligence and failure of the municipality to dry up the rainwater.
"Most of our streets are still flogged with water. We have fears that the swamps will breed insects and mosquitoes and that they may swallow our children," Shuail said.
Shuail said the district lacks the simplest methods of safety and added that the parents have prevented their children from going out.
A number of districts in the north and east of Jeddah are still covered with rain water. Residents have appealed to the municipality to do something before the occurrence of more untoward incidents.
They said though the streets are mostly dry, the water logs and swamps are still existing are a real headache for them.
[caption id="attachment_16025" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
Mais Al-Sulami, the 3-year-old girl, who drowned in a swamp in Harazat District in east Jeddah. — Okaz photos[/caption]
