Residents pointed out the risks when pure drinking water is mixed with treated sewage leaking from pipelines that pass across Wadi Fatima in Bahra to the agricultural farms.
Trucks have also been seen unloading sewage in a nearby drainage, instead of taking it to the treatment plant. The plant started operation in the nearby Hadaa area nearly one year ago.
Residents demanded quick action to implement the recommendations of various committees to save Bahra from dangers posed by the plant and its 2,700-meter pipeline of treated sewage.
Saeed Al-Jahdali, a resident of Bahra, said that there are many mosquitoes in his district, especially during night. “I am afraid my children and other members of my family may get infected by mosquito-transmitted diseases,” he said.
Resident Salem Muhammad said he had witnessed trucks unloading sewage nearby the drainage, instead of taking it to the treatment plant. “This adds to the existing health and environmental hazards of the treatment plant,” he said.
Abdullah Al-Motairi, another citizen, said many people use the treated sewage pumped from the plant. “Several trucks collect water from the wells located in the valley. People who do not know the difference between pure water from the wells and treated sewage might use treated sewage, thinking mistakenly it is pure water,” he said, adding that many families who come to the valley with their children for recreation take this water for personal use.
Resident Abdul Rahman, said that foreign workers in Bahra use the treated sewage from the plant to irrigate farmland in the area. “They use the brackish water to irrigate plots of watercress, lettuce, tomato, cucumber and clover and then sell the vegetables in the local market,” he said.
Ali Ishiqi, professor of environmental sciences at King Abdulaziz University, said that the treated sewage from the plant is not fit for human consumption. “It is also unsuitable for feeding livestock, including sheep and camels, or for fish farms. “The treated sewage — leaked from the pipelines — pollutes ground water in the region. Therefore, we are losing a main source of pure water due to negligence,” he said.
Reacting to the complaints raised by several residents, Khaled Al-Baqami, head of Markaz Bahra, has confirmed the existence of health and environmental hazards due to the treatment plant. “The increased number of mosquitoes may transmit various diseases, thus posing serious health hazards to the local residents. Since the treatment plant, a national venture, started its operations local residents and their properties have become victims of its negative effects,” he said.
According to Al-Baqami, local authorities have approached higher authorities to find a solution to their problem. “Subsequently, several committees with representatives from various agencies have been formed to solve the problem. But the problem is yet to be solved,” he said, while adding that the Markaz Bahra authorities are in touch with the National Water Company (NWC) to address the problem.
Col. Omar Al-Majnuni, director of Civil Defense in Bahra, said that the treated sewage from the pipeline in Bahra was found mixing with the ground water in the rainy season. “The concerned specialists were notified one year ago. Subsequently we approached the governorate to solve the problem and as a result, a committee had been constituted,” he said adding that no action was taken on the recommendations of the committee. The recommendations included intensifying the spraying of insecticides to kill mosquitoes and monitoring trucks unloading sewage outside the treatment plant.
Ashraf Al-Sobhi, director of Bahra health center, said there were no cases of dengue fever, malaria or any other mosquito-transmitted diseases reported in the region. He called on the citizens to drain water pools of agricultural farms and cover water tanks.
The plant treats sewage from Makkah and the neighboring regions. It has the capacity to accommodate 125,000 cubic meters of sewage and the facility spreads over an area of 7,700,000 square meters.
