Approximately 8 years after the residents took possession of their homes in Sabah Al-Ahmad, a residential city situated at the heart of the southern desert region, the inadequacy of government services remains an ongoing concern. The residents continue to endure the lack of implementation of essential projects crucial to meeting their needs in this newly established urban center.
The Public Authority for Housing Welfare did undertake the construction of numerous service buildings as outlined in the city’s development plan. However, ineffective coordination among government bodies has led to delays in implementing and operating vital facilities meant to serve the populace, reports Al-Rai daily.
Representatives of the residents have conveyed their discontent to the daily, highlighting the tardiness in executing pivotal projects essential for the well-being of the city’s inhabitants. They summarized their requisites into six main demands, aiming to alleviate the challenges faced in commuting to educational institutions for students and workplaces for employees. The city grapples with deficiencies in educational and healthcare services, as well as some service centers, causing a sense of unease for the residents settling into their new homes in the south of the country.
Turki Al-Osaimi, the head of the volunteer committee for the city’s residents, outlined the pressing needs. He stated that the PAHW had constructed over 250 service buildings, including schools, mosques, police stations, cooperative societies, central post office, municipal center, and more, all of which are currently operational. He acknowledged these efforts and expressed gratitude towards the organization.
Al-Osaimi further emphasized the current needs of the city, encompassing the construction of a road connecting Al-Wafra Road to the Seventh Ring Road, linking the new residential cities in southern Kuwait to other governorates. This road infrastructure is a major requirement.
Additionally, they seek the establishment of an integrated government hospital within the city, a university, branches of applied institutes, afforestation, and the creation of parks – representing the most crucial needs of the southern region’s residents.
He stressed the necessity for improved coordination among state ministries to ensure the provision of basic services, including education and healthcare, and to enhance the main road network connecting Kuwait’s cities and the southern region. They also hope for the establishment of sewage stations in new cities before citizens move in, to prevent a recurrence of the challenges faced in Sabah Al-Ahmad.
Al-Osaimi expressed hope that the government would prioritize afforestation and expand green areas in new cities concurrently with housing projects. He urged expedited introduction of new cities through real estate developers, asserting that these demands and needs are well-known to both the government and representatives, with the only missing elements being the necessary decisions and budgets .
Sanitation Engineer Ahmed Al-Hujailan, a resident of Sabah Al-Ahmad City, highlighted the lingering anticipation for the completion of promised integrated service projects by “Residential” that cater to the city’s residents.
He emphasized the absence of sanitation facilities in the city and the need for specialized schools for individuals with disabilities, whose infrastructure remains incomplete. Furthermore, he stressed the necessity for applied institutes to serve children who struggle annually with the challenging commute to reach such institutes in various areas of Kuwait.
Six main demands concerning the residents
— Connecting the cities of the south with the country’s governorates
— Establishing an integrated government hospital within the city
— Establishing a university and branches of applied institutes
— Extending a sewage network
— Planting trees in the city and creating public parks
— Introducing new cities through the real estate developer
Al-Osaimi addressed an appeal to His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmed Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, hoping to pay attention to the demands of the people of southern cities. He said, “It is no secret to Your Highness the extent of the urgent need for the residents of the new southern cities of Sabah Al-Ahmad, Al-Khiran, Al-Wafra Housing, and the housing projects in South Sabah, East Sabah, and vertical housing in Sabah Al-Ahmad, for a short road linking Al-Wafra Road to the Seventh Ring Road via Al-Muqwa, to make it easier for citizens (families, students, and employees) to go to work and their universities and relatives, in terms of linking the south to the other governorates of Kuwait.”
He pointed out that “Kuwait Oil Company rejected 3 proposals for three shortcut routes submitted by the Ministry of Public Works in one of the National Assembly committees, so we hope to consider what is most appropriate for citizens and the state, and approve it, to facilitate the people and remove the hardship of the road, distance and time from them.”