DAMMAM, 1 March 2004 — Water and Electricity Minister Dr. Ghazi Al-Gosaibi has signed two contracts for water and sewerage projects worth SR72 million. The contracts are with two national companies and cover a period from two to three years.
Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Manie, director general of water department in the Eastern Province, said that one of the contracts includes operating and maintaining the water and sewerage network in Dammam with a total value of SR59.7 million.
The company — Al-Waha Construction — will complete the project in three years. The second contract is for establishing water lines east of Qatif with a total value of SR13 million. Abral International won the contract and the stipulated time for completion is two years.
Dr. Al-Manie said the signing of the contracts was significant since the two projects would immensely improve water facilities in the region. He said in the past that various large projects had been undertaken in Dammam and Alkhobar to completely renovate the water supply network. “The renovation has yielded results, and in almost all localities of the two cities there is an uninterrupted water supply.”
Residents in Dammam, however, say that there are areas where there is still no water supply and it is time for the water department to take the matter seriously. “Imagine that we in the Eastern Province supply drinking water to the entire Riyadh region and we ourselves survive with salt water coming out of our taps,” said Muhammad Al-Shahari, a resident of Rakah area.
A similar situation exists in Petromin District where there is no supply of drinking water. “We are living in the 21st century and the government has done so much to improve our lives so why is this issue being postponed all the time and why are drinking water pipelines not laid in our district?” asked Yusuf Al-Bawardi, a resident of Petromin.
In addition to drinking water supplies, the areas also lack proper drainage systems. Drainage trucks visit the two areas every week to clear drains and if they fail to do so, there is a terrible stench. Due to improper drainage systems during rainy weather these areas are virtually flooded and have to be pumped out.
