JEDDAH: The lack of a proper drainage system for rain water, and residents building their homes in the wrong place, has seen a rise in the underground water level in districts east of the city, according to the Jeddah Mayoralty. This has also caused potholes in the roads in these areas. The drainage system for rainwater is not to be confused with the sanitary drainage network which is now the responsibility of the National Water Company. Alawi Sumait, Jeddah's Deputy Mayor for Projects, said that there are encroachments to the municipality's underground-water drainage networks in Quwaizah and other districts. Once these lines are restored, the underground water will decrease. “We are going to take strict procedures against the network encroachers. There is also an invitation for tenders to develop the drainage network in different districts in eastern Jeddah,” said Sumait. No repairs to the road can be undertaken because the underground water will ruin the asphalt again, he said. “The topography of the eastern area of Jeddah is making the need for a drainage network a top priority,” he said. “We have requested a budget of SR100 million to complete the underground water drainage system,” he said. When he was asked about the deadline for the sewage networks, he said the National Water Company was in charge of this.
