By Majed Al-Zahrani

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — The Burmese neighborhood in the Kilo-14 area along the Old Makkah Road in southwestern Jeddah derived its name from the nationality of its residents, the majority of whom are originally from Burma (Myanmar). The neighborhood, with over 25,000 houses, is lacking in major infrastructure and is badly underdeveloped. Its streets are full of potholes and there are stray animals everywhere.

The neighborhood serves as dumping ground for abandoned cars and a safe haven for illegal residents. The legal residents of the area are extending an open invitation to the newly appointed mayor of Jeddah to visit their neighborhood and witness their pain and suffering.

The area suffered gross neglect by the municipality in the past, according to its residents.

The residents have called on the municipality many times to improve the situation, but they were only receiving empty promises.

Reaching the neighborhood itself is a dangerous task as people have to pass through narrow roads that are mostly broken and badly paved. Despite the fact that the neighborhood is underdeveloped and nearly isolated from other south Jeddah neighborhoods, it is overcrowded and a favored destination for people looking for a cheap place to live in.

There are also many small illegal factories set up inside homes that are manufacturing and selling products, away from the eyes of the municipality and the Ministry of Commerce and Investment.

Okaz/Saudi Gazette visited the neighborhood and met some of the residents who were happy with the appointment of the new mayor. They wish that he would avoid the mistakes made by previous mayors. The demand to develop the neighborhood is still on the table of the municipality where it stayed without anyone touching it.

Ali Al-Sumairi, one of the old Saudi residents in the neighborhood, said he had been living in the area for 30 years. Since that time, problems existed and continued persist without any solution in sight.

“Problems continued to grow. Look around and you will see that this place is a graveyard for abandoned and broken-down cars. This is also an ideal breeding ground for insects and stray animals. Roads are badly damaged and there are dangerous alleys. In case a fire breaks out, fire trucks cannot reach the place because of the narrow roads. Are officials waiting for a disaster to take place before they make any improvements?” Al-Sumairi said stray animals are bold enough to invade homes and multiply there. He said the health situation should not be neglected and urged the officials to quickly interfere to fix the problems.

Ahmad Al-Adli, another Saudi resident, said the place is full of wood shops and most of the people who are working in these shops are illegal residents. They turned their homes into wood workshops and they do not hesitate to throw their leftovers on the street.

“Wood is one of the materials that can easily catch fire and it would be a disaster if a fire breaks out in the area. Another main problem that we face is theft. We need police presence in the area around the clock.”

Saad Al-Otaibi, a Saudi resident for eight years, said families had been paying a heavy price because of the damaged roads.

“A major portion of our salaries goes to car maintenance each month, straining family budgets. Electricity supply is not constant in the neighborhood and we always face power disruption, which is damaging electrical equipment inside our homes,” Al-Otaibi said.

“Who is going to bear these costs? The municipality or the Saudi Electricity Company? Services do not exist in this neighborhood and we are suffering from these problems for years that there is no point in complaining to the municipality,” he added. The neighborhood mayor, Ahmad Al-Maabadi, told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that the Kilo-14 neighborhood is mainly occupied by people of Burmese origin and it is one of the oldest neighborhoods in south Jeddah. It is lacking major services and there is no response from the related authority, he said.

“We are waiting for the concerned authorities to come and fix the many problems here so people can live in peace. What we are asking for is just the basic services to be provided,” he added.