JEDDAH: Drinking water came sparingly to Quwaizah District in the past years, but when it came, it suddenly came in a torrent gushing into the streets for four months. The resident of this ill-fated district that was destroyed by the floods last November said the wasted drinking water has caused homes to flood and crack, streets to cave in, and could lead to diseases including dengue fever. They said the problem was caused by the National Water Company (NWC) launching a project to continuously pump water to Quwaizah District for five days a week, despite the weak connections that supply their homes and the homes' small water tanks. Okaz/Saudi Gazette telephoned the Reports Department in the NWC's Emergency Section; an employee who declined to give his name said residents in Quwaizah have filed a number of reports that have been referred to the management. Abdullah Al-Assaf, director of the NWC in Jeddah, told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that the reason for the overflows and water gushing on the streets “is that the water tanks of the residents' houses are small”. The matter “concerns the residents themselves”, he said. Al-Assaf said water used to be pumped once every three months, but it is now pumped continuously. Al-Assaf said NWC has responded to the problem by reprogramming the distribution process in Quwaizah District to suit the residents' situation and prevent shortages or excesses. The schedule will be issued this week, he added. Osama Al-Jamattri, a Quwaizah resident, said the problem started about four months ago. Water rose above the street level and overflowed to a distance of over 400 meters from his house, he said. Residents immediately reported the matter to the NWC and three engineers came and checked the situation, he added. Al-Jamattri said engineers told residents that the pressure from pumping water continuously for a week would cause pipes to rupture and electricity meters to explode. He added that the problem got worse with the increase of potholes in the streets. Hussein Al-Muhammadi, another resident, complained that the water inundated his house and stressed that the problem has also affected septic tanks, which have become filled to the brim. Residents pump out the septic tanks every day to lower the water levels and stop sewage water from overflowing into the streets, he said. “Over 2,000 residents lodged complaints with the Emergency Section at NWC and the municipality, after which a big number of engineers from NWC have checked the district, but the problem has not gone away,” Al-Muhammadi said. Resident Hassan Al-Malki said houses and streets have been damaged. “The high water pressure has caused cave-ins at several locations on the streets and in homes,” he said. “We have made a number of reports calling for the defects to be fixed, but nothing has happened despite the passing of four months since we filed the complaints.” Mutheeb Al-Muttairi, who lives in the distict, warned that standing water could cause the spread of diseases and a recurrence of dengue fever.
