Residents of Al-Safa district have called on the municipality to install sewage pipelines in their neighborhood because of the rising cost of removing waste and leaks into the streets.

Siraj Abdulrahim, a resident of the neighborhood, said the entire district does not have sewage. “Every three days households search for tanks to pump out the sewage. Each tank costs SR2,500, and some houses need more than one tank a day. Foul-smelling sewage can be seen leaking into the streets sometimes.”

Abdul Elah Abdullah said the National Water Company is not laying down sewage pipelines because the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) established a station in the neighborhood. “There are wires everywhere on the ground so it is hard to drill for the sewage network pipes. Citizens are the victims of a lack of coordination between government departments.”

He said the problem began in 2008. “The Saudi Electricity Company prevented the National Water Company from drilling near the connections and cables.”

Mohammad Al-Ansari said the SEC established a recreational club for its employees at the expense of citizens. He said the water company told residents that if a wire was cut during the drilling it would pay a fine of SR50,000.

He said the club of the SEC is next to a school for girls and would affect the health of the students because of the high power surging through the lines.

Reziqallah Al-Selmi said the SEC built on the only park in the neighborhood. “A large part of the park was turned into a parking lot for the tanks that never leave the neighborhood,” he said.