جازان: حي البلد واجهة تاريخية ينتظر الخدمات

The Al-Balad neighborhood is one of the old neighborhoods in Jazan, but it lacks many infrastructure projects, to the point that residents are questioning the fate of their neighborhood, when will services pay attention to it and when will it be forgotten?

The neighborhood hosts the Jazan Port, the Dawsari Castle, and the popular internal market, which is considered the oldest market in the city, in addition to being adjacent to the coast. All these factors have not helped in boosting its economic activity or improving its infrastructure and urban development. According to its residents, the neighborhood has become today filled with dilapidated buildings and suffers from land subsidence, cracks in the asphalt layer, and sewage overflow, in addition to the exposure of electric meters.

"Okaz" observed during its tour the neighborhood's need for many services, where Mohammed Hussein said: "The neighborhood lacks services and suffers from the absence of infrastructure projects that have increased the suffering of residents, especially those with limited income who live in old, dilapidated homes." He adds that the neighborhood needs to implement vital projects that serve the infrastructure and requires re-planning in a modern architectural style, removing the old dilapidated buildings, addressing the problem of ground subsidence, expanding its streets, paving and asphalting them, providing lighting, and attracting investors to rebuild the old popular internal market, and benefiting from the vast areas adjacent to the main streets that are suitable for establishing hotels and large buildings that reflect the civilization and development witnessed in the region.

Ismail Al-Bahkali says that the popular internal market is still bustling with shoppers who have not stopped coming for more than fifty years, but it currently needs rebuilding and planning.

Meanwhile, Ali Hashim stated: The neighborhood suffers during the rainy season from sewage overflow and electrical short circuits due to the exposure of electric meters, while some buildings, especially those at risk of collapse, need to be removed and rebuilt, and the narrow internal streets need to be restructured.

Naif Hassan adds: "I hope to see the neighborhood undergo a sifting process to improve its services, focus on cleanliness, and also re-plan it, especially since it is adjacent to the port and the Dawsari Castle."

Abdu Mohammed mentioned that the internal streets of the neighborhood suffer from subsidence, inclines, cracked tiles, and the accumulation of demolition debris and harmful trees that attract reptiles and rodents.

Gabriel Ali, Mohammed Khalid, and Adel Ibrahim added: "We hope to see a sifting of the neighborhood that improves its conditions and elevates it to a better stage than it was, and we believe that this will happen soon; we just need to see the responsible authorities for services roaming the neighborhood's streets, recording its needs, and implementing them."