DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – Samir Ismael, 37, voices his concerns over the house he lives in in al-Mazzeh neighbothood of Damascus particularly since it is located in a slum area.
Within the city of Damascus, al-Mazzeh 86, Hayy al-Wuroud, al-Mazzeh Jabal, Nahr Eshe, Wadi al-Mashari, al-Tadamon, and al-Kabbas all are slum areas. Buildings in these areas are weak, disorganized, overcrowded.
Ismail is not the only man who is engulfed by such a concern. He is a case in point.
“We had never thought of our choice of living in these buildings. I do think they are based on security standards,” he said.
For his part, Muhannad Adira, 40, has decided to spend the night inside his car along his family following the last tremor that hit Damascus on February 8.
Adira who lives with family in al-Mazzeh 86 says, “Do concerned bodies know what could happen to these slums in case a stronger quake hits the country? There will be a tragedy more aggravating than the one we have been undergoing. All residents of these areas could die.”
Muna al-Hajjar, 44, who lives in al-Mazzeh neighborhood, does not conceal the fear she has and the concerns that prevails in their lives, particularly after the quake hit the capital.
“How could we return to our normal life? Our life has turned upside down in these slums that we live in.”
Al-Hajjar says, “We no longer cook, we eat sandwiches. We spend many hours on the streets.”
Another resident, Maha al-Youssef, 40, from Hayy al-Wuroud, proposes that all these neighborhoods “be evacuated and that tents be installed on the streets until situation returns to normal.”