JEDDAH, 21 March 2004 — Residents of a Kilo 14 neighborhood are complaining of emissions from a gas plant less than 300 meters from their homes.
The National Gas and Manufacturing Company, operating in a district named after it, has been in this area for over 30 years, affecting the lives of hundreds that live in its shadow.
“The factory has affected our lives in every way,” Rotan Al-Shibani, 34, told Arab News. “Many of the children here have asthma, which we suspect is a result of leaks from the factory. On a regular basis we see fire trucks rushing to the site to handle something, though we are never told what happened. Occasionally, a smell of gas wafts through the area. So we worry.”
Another resident, Ali Al-Dhafiri, said: “All my children suffer from asthma because of inhaling this toxic smoke every day. I take my children to hospital all the time. I am afraid that I may lose one of them. This factory should be located in areas far away from residential neighborhoods.”
But according to Fahd Al-Dossary, a manager at the company, there are no leaks. “We have a high-tech security system that would detect any leaks. We check our factory equipment regularly and it is safe,” he said.
Emissions are not the only problem. Abu Ahmad, who lives in the neighborhood, said the fire hazard and traffic congestion add to the residents’ woes. “If a fire broke out and one of the storage cylinders exploded, most of the area would go up in flames — neither the factory nor the neighborhood are in good shape.”
“The gas trucks have been disturbing our lives and tearing up our streets for as long as I can remember,” he added.
Residents of this low-income neighborhood told Al-Madinah newspaper they are moving out of the area as they fear for their lives. Others stay because they cannot afford to move, and are asking authorities to move the gas plant.
Muhammad Al-Zahrani sees moving the plant as a solution. “It is easy to move a factory somewhere away from the residential area, but you cannot move a residential area away from a factory because it costs a lot. We are all angry at the situation here because nothing has changed. All we hear are promises to move the gas company, but no action is ever taken. There are times when we smell gas from early in the morning to late at night and I wonder, what actions are going to be taken against this company?”
According to a long-time Jeddah resident who now lives in the area, the factory has moved three times in his lifetime to different areas throughout Jeddah, but finally settled in this Kilo 14 neighborhood. “A few years ago they added more equipment to the factory, so it doesn’t look like they are planning to move it anytime soon.”
“Twelve years ago, a committee was formed to move the company to another location and pay us compensation money,” said Abdu Mahmoud, another resident who has been living in the neighborhood for 20 years. “But nothing ever happened.”
Al-Madinah newspaper, citing foreign industry professionals, said a plant of this type should be located at least 20 km from a residential area.
