Al-Qaeda, the capital of Dhi Al-Sufal district, one of the most important towns of Ibb governorate, and the artery connecting the governorates of Taiz and Ibb, possesses tourism attractions, historical heritage and beautiful landscapes that qualify it to be a tourist destination and a meeting place for citizens and visitors from inside and outside Yemen.
However, it suffers from a significant deterioration in basic services, and the faltering of infrastructure projects, especially with regard to water, sewage, sanitation and road paving. The streets of this secondary town suffer from overflowing of sewage and torrential waters, and is filled with potholes, swamps, and cesspools that expose citizens to diseases, drowning accidents, and many health risks. Additionally, the miserable situation in the town of al-Qaeda portends an imminent environmental catastrophe that will be difficult to deal with in the future.
While exploring the town's conditions, Khuyut reporter obtained some documents stating that the local council in Ibb Governorate had approved, in one of the tenders, the rehabilitation and maintenance of some streets in the town of Al-Qaeda at an amount of 1,600,000 riyals, while an amount of 15 million dollars was allocated for the filtration plant and the sewage network with support from donors. As the tender was then apparently awarded to a local firm, (Kahlan Company), the real implementation was delegated over to a Chinese company, which was also dismissed, and thus the whole project was suspended up to date.
Consequences of the suspension
The interruption of the sewage and sanitation project in (Al-Qaeda) turned the town into a huge hotbed of filth, and a major source of skin diseases, incurable diseases, and other sicknesses that we no longer hear of, according to what we witnessed and according to what the people of the region reported. Among these diseases: cholera, chronic fevers, scabies, skin ulcers, and many other diseases.
The failure of the sanitation project in the town of (Al-Qaeda) caused many problems, as sewage water overflowing from cesspits in many streets became a major source for the spread of many diseases and epidemics in the town and threatening the collapse of homes and buildings.
About the real reasons behind this environmental disaster, who bears responsibility for it, and how to solve it, Qahtan Abu Ras, the Secretary-General of the Local Council in the district, spoke to "Khuyut", saying: "The interruption of the sewage project of (Al-Qaeda) is due to the lack of sufficient fund to complete the project. The Ministry of Water bears responsibility for this failure, as it is in charge of the supervision and the implementation of the project".
Abu Ras continued, "There is an integrated advisory office affiliated with the General Water Corporation in the governorate, which is aware of all the details of the project, as the office had pointed out - in a previous report - about the completion of 50% of the drainage basins, which is the basis and key part of the project."
Moreover, Abu Ras indicated that all network lines have been supplied, as well as connection lines from the internal network, to the drainage basins and the filtration station, and this means that there is nothing left of the project except to complete the drainage basins, of which 50% have been executed.
"If the implementation of the project is delayed, some of the completed works will be worn out, which in turn will need repairs and maintenance again, in addition to digging and installing the internal network, and installing connection lines between the internal network and the drainage station." Abu Ras added.
Abu Ras wishes that the competent authorities in the Ministry of Water expedite the achievement of the project, and search for appropriate funding, because this project represents one of the most important service requirements that citizens need in the town. Stressing that the local council will spare no effort in supporting it, and will closely follow the progress of work, so that this vital project can be finished as soon as possible.
Imminent risks
In the same context, the town's citizens, sheikhs, dignitaries, and intellectuals expressed their fears of the dangers that the town's residents are exposed to, as a result of the overflow of sewage and the pooling of water.
Murshid Al-Kamil, Secretary-General of the Future Forum, explained that the town of Al-Qaeda is known by a high population density, which exposes the lives of residents to serious risks due to the failure to complete the water and sanitation project.
In an interview with "Khuyut", Al-Kamil referred to some of the most important health and environmental risks to which citizens in the town are exposed, saying: "The failure of the achievement of the sanitation project in the town of (Al-Qaeda) caused many problems, as sewage water overflowed due to cesspits in many streets which become major source of the spread of many diseases and epidemics in the town. In addition, the random sewage system, in its deteriorating condition, threatens the collapse of homes and buildings due to these widely spread potholes, as a result of the town’s residents resorting to digging cesspools as a temporary alternative to the sewage network, in addition to the failure of many investment projects as well as paving and asphalting of the streets, in addition to the accumulation of waste and waste in densely populated neighborhoods".
Environmental catastrophe
For his part, lawyer Haitham Salam expressed the horror of the town's suffering as a result of the interruption of the sanitation project, in light of the ignorance and lack of awareness of some officials of the imminent disaster, despite its multiple manifestations on the ground.
Salam said in a statement to the “Khuyut” platform that: “This sprawling historical town, unfortunately, is still deprived of basic services, while the residents are unable to help in light of the crisis the country is going through, and to maintain environmental safety within the town. Thus, the randomness and lack of compliance with the law, and the lack of responsibility by the competent authorities, exacerbated the tragic situation, and turned it into a bomb of health and environmental risks".
"Despite the appeals and follow-up from some benefactors, we did not find a response or interaction with the suffering of dozens of citizens in this town, but I will continue to call on the competent authorities to take into account the conditions of this town, and to bear their moral and national obligation before God and people to avoid an unfortunate catastrophe." He added.
While Khuyut reporter wanders in one of the alleys of the town, he stopped at the scene of an old man standing on the side of the road, with sorrow evident on his face, while he was pointing with his hands to the swamp of sewage in front of him, lamenting his condition and the condition of the town, saying: "Every day a cesspit overflows, to increase with it, the dangers of accumulating The dirt and wide swamps that accumulate in it, and around it the garbage and the kinds of insects that carry diseases and epidemics, without anyone moving a finger.” He said.
Lack of Accountability by Authorities
For his part, Haj Abdullah Qaid, one of the notables of the town of al-Qaeda, compared the town's past and its current conditions. He pointed out that it used to have planned streets, and was witnessing a great urban renaissance, explaining that the credit for that development goes to the efforts of the late Ahmed Al-Safwani, who held the first position of mayor in the town, and made great efforts in developing and urbanizing the area.
Qaid added, in an interview with "Khuyut": "Al-Safwani was able to keep pace with the times in that ancient period, despite the modest auxiliary equipment." He attributed this to the fact that the man was loyal, responsible and patriotic, which some officials lack today".
Impending collapse
In a related context, Ahmed Mohammad Ali Al-Safwani, a citizen of the town, expressed, in an interview with "Khuyut", his concern about the demolishing of the entire town buildings in the future, due to the presence of more than ten thousand cesspits, all of which are close to one level, some of which have overflowed. in the streets.
Al-Safwani Ahmed wished, in the event that the competent authorities were unable to fulfill their responsibilities, to seek assistance from the aid organizations and external donors, in order to complete the sewage network project, even if in phases.
His opinion was supported by Abu Ayman Al-Ra'adi, one of the notables in the area, who said that the smell of corruption was wafting in the area, and not just sewage.
Al-Ra'adi concluded in a statement to "Khuyut": "You can imagine that in each corridor, the width of which ranges between three or four meters, there are dozens of adjacent cesspits, all of which are located between adjacent residential buildings, and their sizes range between large and medium, and others that are worn out and on the verge of falling."
