JAZAN: Residents of villages in Al-Raith have been forced to obtain drinking and cleaning water from the valleys and transferring it to their homes due to the absence of water services in their villages.

Water tankers transferring water from the valley to the villages begin their journey at dawn each day, continuing until sunset to bring water back to the residents.

Tanker driver Osman Adan has been working on transferring water for six years, noting that water is used for laundry, bathing and watering livestock.

Several families say they have been suffering from the lack of water, especially water for drinking and cleaning, noting that they have resorted to these tankers which cost at least SR400.

They called on the branch of the national water company in Al-Raith to attend to this problem and find urgent solutions to the lack of sufficient water services in the village, especially the absence of the water project announced by the Water Directorate for the villages of Al-Qahr Mountain.

However, despite numerous appeals by citizens, officials have continued to ignore their complaints, they said.

According to citizen Abdullah Al-Raithi, the thirst has forced families to obtain water from the valleys, as the drinking water families hear about does not reach their homes.

“How can we live without water?” asks citizen Ali Shami. “Families here are of low income, and cannot afford to bring expensive tanks from distant places to provide water.”

In turn, the spokesman of the Directorate of Water in Jazan, Alaa Khard, said the directorate seeks to obtain necessary licenses from the Department of Roads to complete implementation of the water project in Al-Raith, which is what has hindered the delivery of water to the district and its villages.

He said a number of neighborhoods benefit from well water, while Al-Raith can benefit from the Group 6 water project for 36 months, as well as the Group 1 and 2 projects.

Projects for delivery of water to other villages is currently under study, he said.