Okaz/Saudi Gazette

RIYADH — The absence of a sewage network in the south of Riyadh has caused the neighborhood to lose much of its real estate value, and the population is seriously considering relocating from it to a region with minimal environmental sanitation after the sewage has flooded the foundations of their homes.

Residents blamed the National Water Company (NWC) for the decline in value of Al-Dar Al-Bayda District due to lack of sewerage system which led to sewage flooding on roads damaging the asphalt.

Najwa Murad told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that her home suffers from lack of a sewage network, pointing out that Al-Dar Al-Bayda neighborhood suffers from a defect in its infrastructure.

"Disgusting lakes in the neighborhood have made my house on the Mina Street become an appalling residence although it used to be a luxury property that I spent hundreds of thousands of riyals to build. The tenants refuse to live here to escape the pollution that surrounds the building. Not only that, but the Riyadh Municipality issued me fines for the pool of accumulated water in front of my house worth 85,000 riyals, despite the fact that I am not at fault," she said.

Najwa stated that she had to bear the double burden of suffering from the sewage problems and also get fined for that.

She pointed out that she continued to follow-up with the competent authorities and expressed her frustrations with the neighborhood, but no solutions were found to address the problem.

"My property is deserted and electricity meters were stolen. I have been communicating with the Riyadh Municipality for two years ago and I have contacted the National Water Company, but got no response whatsoever," she said.

Najwa renewed her appeal to the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs represented by the Riyadh Municipality and the National Water Company to address the suffering of residents in the area and establish a sewage network in the neighborhood.

An official source in the National Water Company said that the contract for creating sewage networks in Al-Dar Al-Bayda District is due to happen at the beginning of the current year 2018, including Mina Street, pointing out that the work was started and the project is expected to complete within two years.