Jeddah: Sewage in the Streets?

It was a cool day. We didn't always get temperatures like this in Jeddah; at least not before 5 p.m. I felt like taking a walk with my son. After walking for 5 minutes, I got a bad smell. Right there across the street, there was a small stream rich in sewage. I had to carry my son to cross this little stream. Another 5 minutes and we came across another "poop-rich" stream. There we went again! Carrying and skipping. When we came across the fourth stream, that was it. I decided to go back home. It was horrible. You couldn't walk for 10 minutes without having to come across an over-flooded sewage tank. I thought this only happened in my neighbourhood until when I went to visit some folks in Bawadi District. Oh my! Same case scenario. 


It is a pity that in a neighbourhood with well-constructed buildings and roads, you frequently come across sewage flowing in the streets. It is not only a problem for pedestrians; even drivers do try to avoid getting into sewage  running across the street. Once my in-law was trying to avoid a pool of sewage, and I was like, "Oh come on! Does it really matter? The car stays outside anyway." He said, "No way. I can't let my tires get into people's poop." 


Naturally, people were worried when Jeddah was flooded by the rains in 2009. They were very worried that the giant sewage lake that was close to Jeddah may flood the city. But what about sewage seeping out at our doorsteps on normal uneventful days? One would wonder why some buildings have sewage seeping out of their tanks onto the street for about one week and nobody is doing anything. This was what I noticed during the last holidays in the month of August. There were so many sewage streams in my neighbourhood and people were just going about their normal activities. Was it because everybody was busy with the festivities? Or was it because the stench didn't bother people so much anymore? Come to think of it, how could anyone stand the stench from sewage?...Can you? I can't.