MAKKAH — Makkah Mayoralty, for the first time in its history, has apologized to the people of Makkah for the failure in cleaning the city and causing a pile up of garbage on the streets for several days. In a statement, the mayoralty blamed the former contracting company for not cleaning the garbage for nearly three weeks, Al Madina daily reported on Wednesday. According to the statement, the contracting company had instructed its workers to stop the cleaning work and the disposal of garbage. The company also directed its cleaning workers to withdraw cleaning equipment from the streets before the end of the stipulated contractual period, which resulted in the accumulation of garbage in several districts. “We are extending our extreme apology for such a dismal situation. We own the responsibility for the mess and are keen to exert all efforts to keep the city clean and tidy by restoring normalcy in the cleaning work,” the statement said. Makkah streets had started to stink as cleaning operations in many streets stopped for several days. Mayoralty sources stated that the new contracting companies have started cleaning work in the city from Dec. 1. Despite the difficulties, the mayoralty was able to resume cleaning work in most of the districts in the city. More than 18,347 tons of accumulated garbage had been removed in six days from Dec. 1. Around 700 workers are engaged in spraying insecticides in dumpsters and dumping areas, the statement added. Omar Fallatah, who lives in the Al-Shawqiya neighborhood, said the streets got worse after the heavy rain that recently lashed Makkah and its neighboring areas. He said there are broken branches from trees strewn on the streets, in addition to the trash bags. Muhammad Al-Qahtani, who lives in the Al-Maabidah neighborhood, also said he had not seen street cleaners over the past few days. The streets stink and harmful insects are everywhere, he said. Yes, we have contacted the municipality many times over the past weeks but to no avail, he added.
