أهالي «الريان» عبر «عكاظ»: أنقذونا من «شجرة السلم».. الأمانة: نتابع

Residents of the Al-Rayan neighborhood (eastern Mecca) are calling for action from the relevant environmental health authorities to confront the encroachment of American elm trees, which have begun to noticeably surround them. The residents indicated that the trees have become a source of insect proliferation and a hiding place for unidentified individuals and violators of work and residency regulations, not to mention the amount of visual distortion that envelops the newly established neighborhood.

“Okaz” toured the neighborhood and observed the signs of the suffering faced by the residents. Mohammed Al-Maliki said: “I have lived in the neighborhood for seven years, and during these years, invasive trees known as American elms have started to appear, which have become a concern for the residents and a topic of discussion in their gatherings. Despite the cooperation and solidarity of the neighborhood residents in limiting their encroachment, all their attempts have been in vain.”

Fawaz Al-Muallid pointed to the efforts made by the teams from the Municipality of Mecca about a year ago, including the filling in of part of the trees, which quickly returned in large numbers. Said Al-Shuhri demands the urgent need to stop the encroachment of these trees towards the neighboring neighborhoods. In another location, Abdullah Al-Ghamdi confirmed that some violators of work and residency regulations use these trees as a cover from the eyes of security personnel, calling on the relevant authorities to uproot these trees and dispose of them as soon as possible.

“Okaz” contacted the spokesperson for the Municipality of Mecca, Osama Abdullah Zaitouni, who said: “The municipality is keen to remove anything that could pose a danger to residents and public health, and to provide a safe and healthy environment for the residents, as well as to eliminate all causes of visual distortion. There are ongoing efforts and continuous field tours by municipal inspectors at all sites and plans to monitor such observations and violations that may pose a danger, and they are removed promptly according to a schedule, especially if they are on public lands. If they are on private properties, communication is made with the owners to inform them of the necessity of their removal to ensure the safety of residents and to eliminate anything that could pose a danger to them.”