Col. Saeed Sarhan, spokesman of the Directorate of Civil Defense in Jeddah, confirmed the decision to move the iron factory in Al-Qusen district to the industrial area outside Jeddah. The decision was taken based on complaints logged by residents of Al-Qusen neighborhood in southern Jeddah regarding the spread of toxic and dangerous fumes emitted from the iron factory. Residents have claimed that pollution levels have led to the rise of chest diseases, including asthma, among the neighborhood’s inhabitants.

Sarhan revealed to Arab News that the Civil Defense Administration is making the necessary arrangement, in coordination with Jeddah Secretariat and the General Authority of Meteorology and Environmental Protection, to transfer the factory to a suitable location in the industrial area.

The factory had been shut down for a brief period before it resumed operations, under the condition that it must comply with environmental safety regulations.

Hussein Al-Qahtani, media spokesman for the Department of Meteorology and Environmental Protection, said the factory was given a deadline to repair its filters and comply with environmental regulations.

Residents of the Al-Qusen complained that the neighborhood is deprived of sunlight due to the heavy fumes emanating from the factory, which also carry traces of iron. They also complained that several people have been suffering from respiratory diseases.

Abdulwahab Slimani and several other residents of Al-Qusen including Saad Aljdani and Ali Aljdani, urged authorities to impose penalties on the factory owners to force them to adhere to environmental regulations.

Ismail Al-Ahmary, another resident of the district, said several cases of tuberculosis have been detected among the neighborhood’s population, causing alarm amongst residents.

Meanwhile, Ismail Hakemi indicated that people in the neighborhood have been suffering since last year, when a committee was formed to investigate the factory.

Al-Qahtani told Arab News that the department of Meteorology and Environmental Protection was part of the committee, which had given the factory a one-year deadline to install filters and comply with environmental regulations. He added that the factory management has still not complied with the committee’s requirements.