The Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME) has accused the Jeddah Municipality of conducting land reclamation activities without permits in clear violation of the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs's directives. — Courtesy photo Saudi Gazette report
JEDDAH — The Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME) has accused the Jeddah Municipality of conducting land reclamation activities without permits in clear violation of the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs (MMRA)'s directives, Al-Hayat daily reported. Sources told Al-Hayat that PME President Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Jassir has filed a complaint with higher authorities after the PME inspection teams spotted land reclamation and bulldozing activities being implemented by the municipality along the Makkah Region coast. Engaging in such activities without first getting the PME pertinent committee's approval is a violation of the MMRA directives and regulations. Any development works for seafronts should not be implemented without the PME's approval to ensure that such works do not impact negatively on the marine and coastal environments as well as the natural resources, according to the sources. PME president asked the municipality to give directives to all its municipal offices in charge of coastal areas to halt all bulldozing and land reclamation activities immediately and to seek the committee's approval before engaging in any. Meanwhile, Makkah Municipality signed two new contracts to maintain the tunnels located near the Grand Mosque and some part of Makkah City with a total value of SR170 million. Makkah Mayor Dr. Osama Al-Bar said the projects are part of the plan to maintain the public facilities and ensure their safety. Two of the contracts were signed with national companies that have global experience and expertise. The first one, totaling SR159,669,362, is to maintain the tunnels surrounding the Central Area of the Grand Mosque while the second one, totaling SR4.5 million, is to install ventilations inside Makkah and Holy Sites tunnels. The municipality continues to implement mega projects in Makkah to provide citizens, expatriates, and visitors as well as the pilgrims with the best services.
