JEDDAH: The municipality-owned Jeddah Development and Urban Recreation Company will soon start constructing a network of fire hydrants in some parts of the historic center (Balad). Adnan Adas, head of the municipality’s Structures Rehabilitation Department called the move “first of its kind in the Kingdom.”
The project is scheduled for completion in 18 months, he added. Adas said that the first phase of the project, which is due to start in a few weeks, would cover the majority of the historically defined buildings in the area.
After the completion of the network, the whole area will contain 112 fire hydrants that are strategically spread around the narrow alleys of the old city, which are not wide enough for Civil Defense. All hydrants would be linked to a main water pump that is backed up with a supporting pump in addition to a main water tank with a capacity of 1,500 cubic meters.
This project, he said, is one of the first steps to preserve and rehabilitate the Balad in order to register it as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are approximately 550 old houses, some dating back to the 14th century. There have been 13 major fires in the area in the past two years, according to the municipality.
