Saleh Fareed

Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — The Bride of the Red Sea is in the grips of a severe water crisis, and the misery of the residents is aggravated by the long queues and unending waits at the water station to get a coupon for water tanker.

Hundreds of expats thronging the water station on Makarona Street Sunday morning were turned back by officials with a terse statement “Only Saudis.” The expats waiting in the serpentine queue since wee hours were asked to come back or wait until 1:00 p.m.

People waiting for the coupon at the water station are segregated in three queues: One for expats, one for Saudis and one for women. While the expat queue moves very slowly with the turns coming after 12-14 hours of long wait, the Saudi queue moves faster. Women are attended after every 14-15 men.

A visibly peeved Zain Al-Habshi, a Somalia nation, pointed to the expat queue, saying: “You see those people, some of them have been standing in the queue since late night while the other lane for Saudis is moving so fast. We are human being too and we all suffer the same problem.”



Al-Habshi told Saudi Gazette that he came early morning and tried to get a coupon for a water tanker but he was told that only Saudis can get the coupon. Expats should wait until 1:00 p.m. “I have been coming here since Wednesday and cannot get a tanker. It is really a miserable situation.”



While expats complain of a preferential treatment for Saudis, the citizens feel that their situation is no better. Faiz Al-Jahdaly, a Saudi citizen, suffers a daily hardship of coming all the way from Al-Ruwais district to the Faisaliya water station. Sometimes he alternates with his cousin because of the frequent water shortage in their home.



Ali Hafeez, an Indonesian driver of a Saudi family, was told to bring his Saudi sponsor to get a coupon or wait for long hours in the queue.



Nasir Al-Harazi, a Yemeni resident, said: “I arrived here just after Fajr prayer hoping to get a coupon without much wait, but when I reached here hundreds of people were already waiting in the queue.”



In the Saudi queue, an elderly citizen arrived on a wheel chair with his driver, took a token number and asked his driver to stand in the queue. But one of the supervisors did not allow the driver to stand in the queue meant for Saudis.



Considering the heavy demand for water tankers, Jeddah Governor Prince Misha’l Bin Majed even temporarily exempted water tankers from the heavy vehicle ban. There are some 2,000 water tankers catering to the city from four water refill stations.