More than 40 traditional Old City homes risk collapse [Archives:2008/1124/Reportage]
January 28 2008
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For The Yemen Times
The Al-Ghaimani family's woes began Dec. 12, 2007, when the central wall of their traditional mud house, located in Samrah neighborhood in the heart of the Old City of Sana'a, suddenly collapsed.
Nineteen people, including children, were inside at the time, with debris covering one child up to his neck, but he was only slightly injured. The entire family was trapped in the rubble, as neighborhood locals and a police team hurried to the scene to save their lives.
Following their home's collapse, the family split up into three groups, with the first, a group of females, settling in a nearby Qur'anic school where staff are on vacation, but will resume work soon. A second group simply sleeps in a nearby mosque, while the third took refuge on the street.
Although no one was killed, the father, 65-year-old Mohammed, can do nothing because he doesn't work. His eldest son, 28-year-old Mansour, also doesn't work because he has artificial heart valves and the family's children simply look miserable.
Neither the neighborhood's local council nor local charities immediately assisted the Al-Ghaimani family. However, a month ago, a group of foreign students studying Arabic at a Yemeni language institute in the same area purchased wool blankets for them for YR 18,000 ($90). The group includes Jeff from Australia and his colleagues from Indonesia, Singapore and Korea. Additionally, they gave the family food and took the children to the park during Eid Al-Adha.
More than 40 Old City homes like this one, which are mostly made of mud and bricks, are in danger of collapse due to their age and weak internal structure.
Samrah neighborhood leader and local council member Mohammed Al-Qadhi contacted his fellow local council officials and obtained YR 1,500,000 ($7,500) for the family, who received it Jan. 22. However, saying the amount is insufficient, Al-Qadhi has called on charitable associations and local authorities to assist the family more.
The Yemen Times contacted the Yemeni Red Cresent Association (YRCA), whose secretary-general, Elias Manei, soon visited the site. After assessing the damage, the YRCA team provided an additional 10 blankets and set up a tent, with Manei promising to seek further assistance for the family.
Additionally, the Yemen Times contacted the Charitable Society for Social Welfare, a local NGO, which also promised to visit the Al-Ghaimani home.
In an attempted visit to the governmental General Organization for the Preservation of Historical Cities in Yemen, or GOPHCY, neither its head, his deputy or even the general manager were found; only Ali Rizq Al-Babeli, the organization's deputy head of inspections, who maintains that the organization is simply responsible for preserving the beauty of Old Sana'a, not protecting area residents' lives or properties.
“A technical team visits Old City homes three times a day, but I wasn't informed that that particular house likely would collapse,” explains Al-Babeli, who holds neighborhood leaders responsible, adding that he's ready to give the Al-Ghaimani family a month of his salary.
He further alleges that the technical team's ignorance partially is because its members didn't receive their wages from GOPHCY, noting, “Ten of them have filed complaints seeking their wages.”
Another GOPHCY official requesting anonymity claims that the organization suffers corruption and bribery and that neither its budget nor international donations are used well, explaining, “The administration is paralyzed and there are countless violations within the organization.”
Mohammed Al-Sayadi, head of GOPHCY's statistics and planning department, blames citizens and the local council, as well as the Ministry of Water's Water Foundation, to which Abdulhameed Qatab, head of the local council's services department, responds, “The GOPHCY is behind most problems existing there.”
According to Al-Sayadi, 48 Old City homes risk collapse, with Qatab adding that another 22 already are semi-ruined, which means some 1,400 residents likely will face the same tragedy as the Al-Ghaimani family.
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[archive-e:1124-v:15-y:2008-d:2008-01-28-p:report]
