JEDDAH, 4 January 2007 — Although the Jeddah Municipality is currently building a new garbage site 45 kilometers east of the city, people living close to the current rubbish dump in the Al-Ajwad district still complain of smoke coming from the sites, which they say is affecting their health.
The smoke is said to emanate from fires caused by overstayers, say Jeddah Municipality officials. However, locals believe the municipality itself causes the fires as an easy way to dispose of the rubbish.
Fahad Al-Sulmi, who lives close to the rubbish dump, said that his family’s health has been suffering for around four years now. “Three of my children have breathing problems due to the smoke. Not only that, we’re also annoyed by the insects specially mosquitoes,” he said.
Muhammad Al-Bugami, another citizen who has been living at the area for seven years, said he intends to move due to the deterioration of his health and that of his children’s.
“I won’t stay here, I’m leaving soon. The government has assigned SR30 million to set up a new garbage area but we haven’t seen anything,” said Al-Bugami, adding that his children have asthma.
Fawaz Al-Mutairi, head of a health center close to Jeddah’s expressway, said there was an abundance of asthma and breathing-related illnesses in the vicinity. “The center aims to increase awareness about the plight of people living in the area. However, the problem continues,” he said.
“About 100 people consult us daily. The majority of them are children and elderly people, who are suffering breathing problems due to inhaling smoke from fires at the garbage dump,” he added.
Muhsina Abdullah Al-Hada, who has been working in the center for seven years, told Al-Madinah newspaper that there are 15 neighborhoods and around 4,000 families (49,900 people) living in the vicinity.
Jeddah Mayor Adel Fakieh, in a previous Arab News interview, said the new city dump is being built at a cost of around SR30 million and will be completed in a few months time. The municipality is also handing sub-contracts to operate the new 4.5 million-square-meter rubbish dump.
Fakieh said that the new dump would be 45 kilometers east of Jeddah and that this is a significant move in response to complaints from local residents about the smell and lack of hygiene in the area. Safa General Constructions and Projects Company has been handed the task of building the dump.
