After the Directorate of Cooperation and Communication at the General Administration of the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water issued a statement to the media blaming street vendors, thieves, and residents for the delay in completing the rehabilitation of Wadi al-Har in the Hay al-Hassani neighborhood of Berchid, Abdelrahim Al-Kamili, president of the Berchid Municipal Council, stated that the claim that street vendors and their occupation of large areas of the neighborhood’s streets had hindered workers and contributed to the delay in the work is completely unfounded, He stated that he was present alongside local authorities during the removal of street vendors from the area at the request of the company awarded the contract by the National Water Office to rehabilitate Wadi al-Har in the aforementioned area. and therefore the delay is primarily due to certain issues within the company, particularly following the heavy rains that fell on the city and halted work on more than one occasion, categorically denying those allegations.
Al-Kamili added that he and the municipal council had spared no effort in closely monitoring the work, and furthermore, they held a number of meetings under the supervision of His Majesty’s representative in the Berchid region, attended by the company and officials from the National Office for Drinking Water, to highlight certain issues to be resolved by the National Office for Drinking Water and the company responsible for carrying out the project.
Al-Kamili also noted that he and his council are carrying out their duties to the fullest extent regarding the Wadi Har rehabilitation project in the Al-Hassani neighborhood, bearing in mind that it was the previous councils that signed the delegated management contract with the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water, and therefore it is the council that bears legal responsibility for the delay in the works, even though the aforementioned Office and the municipal council are partners in this project.
It should be noted that, feeling pressure due to delays in completing the Wadi Har rehabilitation project in the Al-Hassani neighborhood, the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water, in a statement issued to the media, blamed street vendors for occupying large sections of the neighborhood’s streets—a situation that hindered workers’ tasks and contributed to the delay in the project— “The statement” also mentions repeated attacks on company employees by some residents, as well as the theft of numerous traffic barriers installed by the company for safety and accident prevention by unknown individuals.
It is worth noting that immediately after Kamili took office as president of the Berchid Municipal Council, he worked to bring this project to fruition following persistent demands from residents, who had been waiting for it for years. The launch of the Wadi al-Har restructuring works revealed the severely dilapidated infrastructure in the Al-Hassani neighborhood, as sewage leaks were found seeping under the homes.
Ibrahim Al-Sabbar
