MADINAH, 29 October 2007 — The residents of Hamra Al-Assad yesterday accused certain government agencies of obstructing their case against the municipality over environmental pollution in the area. They also accused some private firms of dumping garbage in the neighborhood, which is located between Madinah city center and Abyar Ali.
They said the pollution created by the garbage has caused at least cancer and liver failure cases and has allegedly resulted in the deaths of a number of people. The pollution has also caused the deaths of birds and livestock.
Mohammed Rabie Al-Harbi, who owns a rest house in Hamra Al-Assad, said legal action had been taken against those responsible for dumping garbage in the area in order to get compensation for the affected people, including families of the deceased.
“But we have noticed that the case has been postponed each time, giving different reasons such as the need for more reports and the absence of lawyers representing the defendants,” Al-Harbi told Arab News.
“This clearly shows that there are some parties who are deliberately obstructing the progress of the case,” he said.
Al-Harbi thanked Madinah Gov. Prince Abdul Aziz ibn Majed for setting up a high-level committee to look into the pollution problem in Hamra Al-Assad and present a report. The governor previously criticized a municipality official for his statement denying pollution in the area.
In a related development, the area municipality yesterday revealed the results of tests conducted on underground water, pipe water and other water sources in the area. The tests showed the water was free of contamination. But the results are contrary to the findings of environmental experts who maintain that there is serious pollution in the area.
Al-Harbi said the industrial waste dumped in the area was toxic. He said the waste dumped by a major leather factory was the main reason for the spread of medical problems such as cancer and kidney failure in the area.
