Muhammad Al-Shahrani
A SHOURA Council member recently put forth a proposal for imposing a fee on residents for removing garbage from the street. First of all, this proposal does not take into consideration the fact that many people have a lot of financial obligations and the last thing they need is another one. I do not know on what basis the Shoura member came up with this proposal and whether he is aware of the fact that many people live in heavily-populated areas with homes situated in narrow alleys where around 20 houses share the same garbage dumpster. How are we going to know which garbage belongs to which house?
The proposal does not make sense. Apparently, the Shoura member thinks that everyone lives in an organized area where each house has a number and its own garbage bin in front of the door. Surprisingly, this member earlier suggested that the government should stop flour subsidies and the proposal was heavily attacked by all segments of society.
I would support the Shoura Council member’s proposal if it were about establishing a recycling company instead of a cleaning company. A recycling company would help protect the environment, reduce expenses and create job opportunities. However, the Shoura member made things worse when he suggested that each citizen should pay between SR200-SR500 for garbage removal. What about those who cannot afford to pay this amount?
We all agree that we need to find drastic solutions to the problem of removing garbage from our streets. Our beaches and streets look miserable because they are strewn with garbage that threatens our public health and contributes to environmental contamination. In many countries, houses are surrounded by gardens and flowers while our houses are surrounded by garbage. The proposal would make sense if all Saudis had their own houses and each house had a number, a garden and all utility services, and each citizen could pay utility bills.
The Shoura Council is responsible for putting forth recommendations to the King. But sometimes members of the public have to pay as a result of negative proposals. To avoid these mistakes, we need to privatize public service agencies.
Why do we not benefit from what is happening in New Delhi? New Delhi is considered the “garbage capital” because it is a city that recycles heavy amounts of garbage. Believe it or not, New Delhi is working on developing technology to turn wastewater into drinking water. In India, they say one can make money from garbage. We have Saudi scientists who are capable of producing similar technology.
My message to all Shoura members is not to put forth recommendations based on their social status and income for there are segments of society which are poor and burdened with debts. I would also like to tell them that putting forth such proposals will not win them the King’s approval because the King is concerned with the comfort of all members of society.
