Arab News has learned from a resident that the two asphalt-making factories were also operating from the neighborhood. The proximity of the factories to a school and residential houses in the area is the main cause for concern.
While one of the asphalt factories has now been shifted in the face of people's opposition, the other factory is still in operation with the permission of authorities.
In addition to polluting the nearby areas, the factory exposes the houses in the neighborhood to fire hazard from a fuel facility in the vicinity, said a local resident, who did not want to be named.
He attributed the increasing number of asthma and other lung diseases in the neighborhood to the pollution caused by the factories.
“People here have no doubt that toxic fumes from the factory is the cause of the death of a man residing in a house next to the factory,” he said.
“We have been complaining to the municipality and Civil Defense about the pollution created by the factories operating in the midst of our residential district. Local newspapers have also been writing about the issue. But no one has taken any initiative to solve our problems,” the resident said.
“We have decided to file a lawsuit against the Jeddah municipality and the Directorate of Civil Defense for permitting the environmentally hazardous factories to operate in residential districts,” he said.
