Saudi Gazette report MADINAH — Some 3,000 residents of a village in Madinah province say they are struggling under harsh living conditions. The residents of Al-Muwaihiyah, 60 kilometers south of Mahd Al-Dahab, have to rely on themselves for many basic services that are missing in their village. As the nearest Civil Defense station is 60 kilometers away, they have to put out fires themselves by utilizing water tankers. The residents themselves have to take security measures to guard their houses, as the village does not have a police station. Residents said someone has to remain home always because they cannot leave their belongings unattended. There is no basic infrastructure in the village, they claimed, adding that roads needed to be paved and streets needed to be lit. The villagers also complained that there is no bridge across the river in the nearby Abu Qatf valley. During rains it is difficult to cross the valley because the villagers have to traverse mountainous areas to reach the other side of the valley until the water subsides. The local health center is in a ramshackle house with no doctor or nurse. The ambulance is damaged and a number of essential medicines are not available, the villagers said. There is an elementary and intermediate school in the village but secondary students have to travel 40 kilometers to the nearby village of Al-Reqaibiyah to attend school. Member of Mahd Al-Dahab city council Zuwayed Al-Metairi promised that the residents' demands for basic services would be met. He said their demands for a Civil Defense station and police station were referred to the concerned authorities.
