Major Saudi city to demolish almost 1,000 buildings

The Department of Emergencies and Disasters of the Jeddah municipal authority in Saudi Arabia said that 929 buildings are on the verge of collapse, a local newspaper Al-Hayat reported.

Al-Hayat cited the government department as saying that, out of the 2,897 long-standing buildings in various districts in Jeddah, there are 1,968 buildings which have potential for refurbishment and 929 buildings that must be completely demolished.

A Jeddah official said the demolishing or repairing of the old buildings was part of a larger health and safety project to maintain standards around the Red Sea city, one of Saudi Arabia’s most commercially important cities.

“The project is aimed at specifying all the buildings in Jeddah which are old



and may collapse at any time,” the source said. “The buildings may be demolished completely or revamped entirely to protect the lives of the inhabitants,” he added.

He then explained that after all of the buildings are inspected, a report on the condition of each building will be compiled and submitted to the municipality’s committee with recommendations on what should be done with the buildings.

Saudi Arabia is currently undergoing an economic development project dubbed “Vision 2030” that seeks to transform the oil-rich kingdom’s economy from one dependent on fossil fuel exports to a services-based one.

In light of Vision 2030, the country is investing in infrastructure redevelopment projects to boost economic activity.