HAIL — The residents of a small village south of Hail have called on authorities to give them basic civic services, such as healthcare, electricity and water supply, Al-Hayat newspaper reported.
Resident Faheed Al-Salem said Muraifiq, a small village 30 km south of Hail, lacks basic infrastructure and residents are deprived of the basic services most citizens in other parts of the Kingdom receive.
“We have been demanding these services as part of our basic civic rights. The Water and Electricity Directorate has already started a project for water networks in the village. However, the project has been at a standstill for a while,” said Al-Salem.
He said citizens have been asking the directorate for updates on the progress of the project only to be met with lack of response on the directorate’s part.
“The neighboring villages have a sewage system and a complete road map while we wait for anyone from the government directorates to pay attention to us. Our biggest problem is the shortage in water supply. We are in desperate need for a solution,” said Al-Salem.
Resident Khalid Al-Shammary said the village does not have a health center, which forces residents to travel long distances for medical care.
“We have to go all the way to Hail just to get a checkup. We have been enduring the lack of basic services for years. We are in need of health centers, educational institutes and other services. There are many directorates that are not established in Muraifiq,” said Al-Salem.
He also said there isn’t a police station or a Civil Defense Directorate in the village.
“We also need a Red Crescent center in our village as it is located on the roads connecting Hail to various deserted areas. The roads are dangerous and strenuous. Many accidents happen on these roads and the victims are usually teachers commuting from and to these areas,” said Al-Shammary.
Resident Majed Al-Munawar said even though Muraifiq has a population of more than 10,000, the municipality fails to collect garbage on time.
