JEDDAH: The water shortage in Jeddah affects the rich and the poor, something that has led to the need to store water at home. However, many people, especially those who live in the downtown areas of Jeddah, do not store water in safe and hygienic ways.
Water is simply stored in large barrels, which are usually left open, potentially becoming easy breeding grounds for the dengue mosquito. As a result, Jeddah Municipality recently distributed special water tanks designed to prevent dengue mosquitoes from breeding.
However, only a few weeks after the distribution, many of the recipients, especially residents of areas such as Al-Sabeel, sold the tanks. “I bought these municipality water tanks from local residents. I didn’t steal them,” said a water tank seller in the Al-Sabeel district, who asked he not be named.
Speaking about the sale of the tanks, Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, spokesman for Jeddah Municipality, said, “We are going to investigate this matter right away, because those home owners have no right to sell the tanks. We installed those water tanks for their own safety, so that they could store water in a hygienic way. Storing water in open barrels is very risky, since the dengue mosquito breeds in pools of water.”
Dr. Ebrahim Siag, an internal medicine specialist, said, “There is a health hazard in storing water in barrels and other open containers. Some people even store water in bathtubs — this is very bad for health.”
He added that tanks that need to be left open for long periods of time should not be filled when it is dark. “The best time to fill such tanks is between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. At these times, the sun is strong and so the dengue mosquito is driven away. But, because of the summer heat many people bring water tankers during the night, which is risky,” he said.
He added that water should not be stored in metal containers. “The tank may rust from inside and the water may become contaminated with rust or high levels of salt, which could lead to kidney problems,” he said.
“To be extra cautious, one should pour a small amount of cooking oil onto the water. The oil will not mix with water and create a layer on the surface that would prevent the dengue mosquito from breeding,” said Siag.
