A group of African expats, polluted a large area of 120,000 square meters in Asbeighawi after they burned plastic cables to release the metal wires inside. Over time, a black layer similar to asphalt began to cover the soil, polluting air and destroying crops.

Abdul Rahman Al-Quraish, a farm owner, said their suffering began over a year ago when they noticed the blackened soil, where no plants or vegetation grew.

He said the soil looked like remanis of an environmental disaster and the surrounding crops had been destroyed due to the dense smoke emanating from the nearby bonfires.

Al-Quraish said the site where the cables were burned is only two or three kilometers away from the farms and only one kilometer away from the Saudi Aramco pipeline.

According to the farm owner, the area comes under the authority of the Safwa police, which did issue a warning to the African expats. A security patrol recently arrested five of them, but the others returned to their activity.

Another farm owner, Fahad Al-Midyan said burning of cables is a violation which poses health risks.

“Hundreds of cables are collected and burned over the weekend, which causes a black sooty cloud to form above the area,” he said.

Al-Midyan called on the ministries and directorates to intervene and investigate the activity, which could lead to an environmental disaster.