JEDDAH , 22 April — Overflowing septic tanks have made life increasingly difficult for residents of several north Jeddah districts. Streets in the Salamah, Rawdah, Bawadi and Zahra districts are constantly flooded with sewage water and the air carries a sickening smell.
A local resident blamed the overflow on the rising level of ground water and negligence by building owners to drain septic tanks in time.
The situation is worsened by the apathy of the relevant officials who refuse to take any serious action to solve the problem. The municipal officials who makes periodic rounds in these districts do not warn nor take any penal measures against building owners who let their sewage tanks overflow.
According to sources at the Jeddah Municipality, its officials make regular rounds in the districts to monitor the situation. Municipal regulations stipulate that landlords who do not drain their septic tanks before they overflow could be fined up to SR500. If an owner refuses to comply with the regulations after repeated warnings, his water supply will be disconnected.
Residents in the districts have called upon authorities to take immediate action to redeem the situation and enforce new building regulations which specify certain distance between water tanks and septic tanks. They say that drinking water in several old buildings in the area is contaminated by sewage because the tanks are too close. However, landlords blame irresponsible drivers of sewage trucks for the overflow. They say many drivers cheat and do not properly pump sewage from the tanks. Investors in commercial and residential buildings in the area fear that they will not be able to lease their buildings at reasonable rates if the area continues to stink.
