Three large swamps develop near Jeddah Municipality building

Faisal Magrashi JEDDAH — Three large swamps have come up only a few meters away from the Jeddah Municipality building on Maadi Street in Al-Hamra District. These bogs are not only causing untold miseries for the residents but also threatening them with an outbreak of epidemics. Residents expressed their resentment over the functioning of the municipality which has done nothing to pump out logged water or penalize the people behind their creation even though the swamps are directly under its nose. "These swamps are there for more than three months and the municipality has turned a blind eye," said a resident who did not want to be identified. Khaled Mohammed, a district resident, said a contracting company has dug the area to construct a building but when water started flushing out, it gave up the idea and left the place. He said in all fairness, the company tried its level best to pump the water out but it found this an impossible job because the underground water continued to come to the surface because of the site's proximity to the Red Sea. Saeed Ghazi, another resident, urged the municipality to move quickly to cover the swamps or dry them up. "The municipality may not move until a disaster strikes. They will move only when a car plunges into the water or dengue fever or other diseases spread," he said. Ahmed Abdullah accused the municipality of negligence and said the swamps are distorting the beauty of the high-class and luxurious neighborhood.