A most basic need to be able to reach home without having to overcome too many difficulties has prompted the people of a village to build a road cutting through a mountain. 

The people of the Wadi al Jahl neighbourhood of Beda’h village in the wilayat of Wadi Bani Khalid, North Sharqiyah, have to make their way through treacherous terrain every time they leave home. 

The nearest motorable road ends at Beda’h, a distance of 5km from their homes and hearth. So the people of Wadi al Jahl decided to pool resources to construct a 5km road to make their lives easier. 

Qais al Rashdi, one of the enterprising villagers who is volunteering his time and labour in the community project, said, “We are unable to drive back home to Wadi al Jahl by road. To return home, we have to climb a steep incline over loose rocks and rugged terrain. People use donkeys to transport luggage.”

He described the walk to Wadi al Jahl as ‘the suffering of its residents’. 

“Construction of the road will contribute significantly to reducing our sufferings from the difficulty of movement. It will facilitate children’s education and, most importantly, our people will be able to get timely medical help, especially in critical conditions,” Rashdi said. 

The 100 volunteers started work on the road on January 1, 2021. Cutting through hard rock, valleys and rolling down impossible slopes, the first 1.5km of the 5km road has so far been completed. The volunteers work every day from 6.30am to 4pm. 

The road will also give tourists access to attractions such as the Al Kaadi Cave and Ayn Shadniyah near Wadi al Jahl.

“Our people have gone out of their way to donate money for the road. But we’re still short of funds. So far, we’ve overcome whatever obstacles we faced in building our road through teamwork,” Rashdi said. 

“To complete the road, however, we will need more funds,” he said, calling on private sector institutions and businessmen to aid the people of Wadi al Jahl pave their road home.