Close to 1,000 buildings in Jeddah on verge of collapse

JEDDAH — As many as 929 buildings in Jeddah are dilapidated and on the verge of collapse, Al-Hayat newspaper reported on Tuesday citing a technical report by the department of emergencies and disasters of the Jeddah municipality. The department said it had specified a total of 2,897 old buildings in various districts in Jeddah consisting of 1,968 which could be repaired and 929 that should be totally demolished. A well-placed source at the municipality said the demolishing or repairing of the old buildings was part of a project to protect the lives and properties of the residents. “The project is aimed at specifying all the buildings in Jeddah which are old and may collapse at any time,” the source said. He did not want to be named. He said that after inspection, a technical report on the condition of each building will be submitted to the municipality’s committee on the buildings to take suitable action. “The buildings may be demolished completely or revamped entirely to protect the lives of the inhabitants,” he said. Director of the department Rami Fuqs said the municipality has signed a number of contracts to demolish or repair the buildings. He said 22 buildings with a total area of 37,785 square meters in south Jeddah and five in north Jeddah with an area of 28,335 square meters were demolished last year.