Block 5 in Farwaniya has several large residential buildings and businesses like baqalas, restaurants, pharmacies and auto garages, but unfortunately no streetlights.

The streets are barely lit by adjoining establishments and buildings, and are full of cars parked all over. Adding to the grim situation of the area are huge containers and trucks parked in empty lots. “I’ve been here for 20 years and I haven’t seen streetlights since,” an elderly Arab man told Kuwait Times.

“It’s dangerous in the night to walk, especially for women, since there are lots of parked trucks. I hope the municipality will be able to do something and install the much-needed streetlights here,” he added. An Indian family told Kuwait Times that when night falls, they never allow their children to go to the baqalas.

“I fear for the safety of several kids who I sometimes see playing outside, as they cannot be seen by passing cars and can get hit. Also, there are some criminal activities going on here because the suspects can easily hide in the dark. I hope this place will get the attention from the municipality. We have reported this issue many times, but there hasn’t been any action yet,” they said.

The Indian couple said from 6 pm to around 11 pm, there is brightness from surrounding structures, but some of these buildings and baqalas switch off their lights when they close their establishments.

“Walking in the night here is really dangerous. I’ve heard about many snatching and robbing incidents by people in cars who target pedestrians,” the couple said. “After midnight, you can barely find any lights here. You fear for the safety of your loved ones - you could be the next victim or get hit by cars.”

A Bangladeshi working as cleaner whose accommodation is located in the area said he is used to the same environment in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh. “I think these areas are almost similar. The only difference here is a lack of garbage on the streets. It is cleaner here compared to Jleeb, but more dangerous. After the shops close, we only see darkness,” he told Kuwait Times. Since there is no designated parking for residents, cars are parked almost everywhere haphazardly

By Ben Garcia