JEDDAH, 23 November 2006 — Water authorities in Jeddah have fined the contractor at the Al-Faisaliah water distribution center SR50,000 for permitting truck drivers to smuggle large quantities of water to the black market while the people were reeling under a severe water shortage during the holy month of Ramadan, Al-Watan newspaper reported.
“Investigators have discovered that more than 100 trucks were involved in the illegal operations at the peak of the water crisis,” said Abdul Rahman Al-Muhammadi, director general of the authority.
“The directorate fined the responsible contractor at the rate of SR500 per truck,” he added.
Al-Muhammadi said the Breman water distribution center was commissioned after the Eid Al-Fitr in the last week of October and the work on another center is underway at the Kilo 14 which is expected to be commissioned after six months.
The official warned that the city would continue to experience the water shortage as the new centers will not solve the issue radically, though it will mitigate the problem. He also said that the corrupt practices at the Faisaliah Water Distribution Center has been stopped.
In October the Faisaliah Center became the center of a controversy when workers turned away non-Saudi customers, asking them to return in the evening after Saudi had been served. A spike in demand during Ramadan resulted in hours-long waits with many resorting to the black-market trade in water.
