JEDDAH, 20 January — Saudi geologists and environmentalists have warned landlords in Jeddah against boring wells near residential buildings to dispose of sewage water, saying that the tendency could cause the city’s destruction in 20 years.

The experts believe that sewage water seeping from these wells would gradually destroy the upper layers of the earth and pollute underground water.

They called for the establishment of an advanced sewage network to solve the problem once and for all.

Building owners in Jeddah increasingly resort to sinking of artesian wells to cut expenses on draining their septic tanks which are not linked to the sewage network. The wells with a depth of 25 to 100 meters cost from SR3,000 to SR4,000 and are built without obtaining permission from the municipality or the department of water.

Saeed Al-Harbi, a Saudi, said he built an artesian well at SR3,600 to stop his septic tank from overflowing. "But it did not solve the problem as the well itself overflowed and tanker trucks had to be called to drain the well," he added.

Al-Harbi was aware of the dangers of sinking such wells, but he resorted to that method because sewage tankers were eating up a major portion of his earnings from the building.

Taha Al-Idreesy, director of training at the International Airports Projects, said artesian wells are ineffective in solving the problem and urged the authorities to find a permanent solution.

Muhammad Al-Qarni said some of these wells were successful to some extent, depending on the type of land, the groundwater level and the depth of the well. He alleged that most of these wells are constructed with the knowledge of municipality officials.

Harban Al-Motairy said the seepage of sewage water into the earth’s lower layers would have dangerous long-term effects on the environment.

He, however, said the landlords could not be blamed as they did not have any alternative.

The machinery used for digging such wells are moved from place to place to evade detection. Sometimes they are seen near the Bicycle Roundabout and at other times near the Airplane Roundabout or near the exhibition center on Madinah Road.

According to Saleh Al-Silmy, sinking wells to remove sewage is not a new phenomenon. "But now the demand has gone up, especially after Jeddah started receiving heavy rainfalls leading to a rise in groundwater level."

Expatriates specialized in the construction of such wells charge SR30 to SR200 per meter depending on the type of land. These workers say the wells will help their owners solve the sewage problem for at least 10 years.

Dr. Adnan Eshki, professor of environmental science at the King Abdul Aziz University, said artesian wells would only exacerbate the problem. "If we do not take steps to establish a sewage network in 20 years, the city’s infrastructure would founder," he added.

Jeddah consumes about one million cubic meters of water daily. This, if pumped back, would damage the earth’s upper layers, he said.

Samir ibn Ahmad Shouman, an engineer working for the Geological Survey Society, estimated the amount of sewage water coming out from Jeddah’s houses at 382,000 cubic meters daily. "If we assume that 50 percent of this water is taken to purifying plants, the remaining half goes right down," he said.

In certain residential areas, earth’s ability to absorb water has reduced to the minimum leading to formation of swamps, Shouman said. The average rise in groundwater level in congested residential areas is 37 centimeters annually.

He suggested that plantation of trees that absorb water would help bring down ground water level. He also emphasized the importance of establishing a modern sewage network in the city before it is too late.

Ahmad Al-Ghamdi, information director at Jeddah Municipality, said the municipality had not given permission to anyone to dig such wells in the city. There is coordination with the police to prevent construction of such wells. Owners of equipment used to sink such wells will face fines of up to SR1,000. Landlords who resort to such illegal methods will also face severe penalties.

The municipality alerts the police to such violations. "We take these measures to prevent pollution of groundwater and protect the environment," Al-Ghamdi said.