RIYADH: Residents of Al-Kharj province in Riyadh region have expressed alarm over the piles of garbage that have accumulated in the industrial zone over the last two months.

“We call on the concerned authorities to take action regarding the disposal of the piles of garbage that have remained uncollected for nearly two months now,” a report quoted a workshop owner as saying.

He added that “it is incumbent upon authorities to take action on uncollected piles of garbage since solid waste is first and foremost a public health issue.”

He said that “these mounds of thrash pose a danger to public health because the smell is bad and has become intolerable.”

The workshop owner noted that the garbage containers are already full, meaning that residents put their waste in big plastic bags of different sizes and leave them beside the dumpsters. “This accentuates the gravity of the situation and the neglect of the concerned parties in collecting the accumulated waste efficiently,” he said.

Another workshop owner expressed his concern that if the situation continues unabated, it could pose serious hazards to public health. “The garbage piles are a public hazard. The bad smell of rotting garbage is detrimental to our health,” he said.

He added that stray dogs looking for food also abound in areas where there are garbage bins are overflowing with waste, causing fear among residents. “While some stray dogs appear to be harmless as they roam around to look for food, others are ferocious and strike fear amongst the residents,” the shopowner said.

These dogs could be rabid and if they bite residents they could infect them with rabies. He also urged the public not to dump their garbage illegally so as not to exacerbate the situation.