KUWAIT: Have you ever been to or at least visited Maidan Hawally recently? Maidan Hawally is a small but quiet neighborhood that lies close to Salmiya. Like other locations in Kuwait , Maidan Hawally (wedged between the Fourth Ring Road and Baghdad Street) is riddled with digging/excavation holes. These make residents' lives difficult and miserable for some. Expatriates complained of the jarring din that emanates from heavy equipments and a barrage of metal barricades (a fence, to indicate on-going work) damage cars and automobiles.

They also complained of dangerous manholes that are not filled in after undertaking digging and excavation activities. "They destroyed roads and leave them open to all kinds of danger. Sometimes, car accidents take place here, but most of the time, impatient motorists get into fights on the road because they want to go first. This situation is really sad and a terrible thing," said a visibly frustrated expatriate. "What kind of treasures are they hunting for in front of our flats? They do it (the work) ea
rly in the morning and even late into the night. It's okay, if the purpose was really to make us feel better afterwards, but they aren't. Besides, continuous dredging keeps my children and me awake," she complained.

The frustrated expat went on to explain, "I just want them to explain to us about the excavation. Why does it take time and why doesn't it ever end? They'll open the road one day and cover it the next day. The following day another group (of people from the Municipality will come and open the same holes that were opened once and covered with sand.) It's been a cycle, and the funny thing is that it never ends.

Only the Ministry of Public Works, Municipality and the Ministry of Electricity and Water can explain why it has been happening. They are ready to answer things. An official familiar with the ministry's bureaucracy explained, "You better stop complaining! That's the way we do it in Kuwait," he quipped. "But I'll tell you something; the reason why things are happening was because no proper coordination was achieved between concerned ministries. The Public Works Department will repair streets and eventuall y, the Municipality will come to fix things afterwards. The Ministry of Water will upgrade your drainage system as well-so they dig up a big hole in your place. Once again, here comes the Ministry of Electricity pretending to increase electricity voltage and they install some pipes and wires underground. That's how it works, is that clear? - Kuwait Times