A recent study has shown that 67 percent of the inhabitants of unplanned districts suffer from water shortages, poor housing facilities and pollution, while 46 percent suffer from power failures and an insufficient supply of electricity. The study, conducted by the Ru'aia Center for Social Studies, has revealed that residents receive 38 percent of their total financial aid from charities compared to 13 percent they get from the government. Forty percent of families living in the undeveloped districts have incomes that do not meet their expenses, while 68 percent cannot cover their essential expenses. Fifty-five percent resort to borrowing money and 34 percent seek financial aid from charitable individuals. The average monthly income of residents ranges between SR500 and SR1,000. The study also reveals that 35 percent of the residents are illiterate and those who are retired constitute 22 percent of total inhabitants. Those who work on a temporary basis form 22 percent and 10 percent are unemployed. Fifty-three percent of the inhabitants live in wooden houses consisting of three to four rooms. The study recommended holding educational symposia and cultural programs to raise awareness of the plight of the residents, and giving them priority in the granting of land plots. The study was carried out on 259 households in Fouj Hait District, 400 in Al-Mughtasaba District and 700 households in Al-Ghanamiya District in Riyadh.
