A citizen in the Yanbu governorate in Madinah Province was forced to demolish his own house after he discovered that the material used in the construction which he bought from a well-known company in the area was inferior quality. He accused the Ministry of Commerce and Industry branch in the governorate of neglecting his complaint about the matter.

Saeed Al-Hafithi said he noticed cracks in the concrete that he bought from the company. The man subsequently brought in building experts from three organizations — the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, the Saudi Standards for Metrology and Quality Organization and the Saudi Council of Engineers. The experts collected samples from the building and tests showed that the material was not suitable for construction and does not achieve the required resistance levels for safety and that the concrete used by the company does not conform to the approved standards.

Official reports obtained by Al-Hafithi showed that due to this serious flaw, the house needs to be demolished. However, the man said that the ministry refused to give enough attention to his complaint, even though he delivered all documents and provided proof that the concrete was substandard.

Local media said that the director of the ministry’s branch in the governorate has not responded to questions from the press. Meanwhile, Saeed Al-Hafithi said that if the company continues to sell inferior concrete products, it might cause a catastrophe with the collapse of buildings using its products.

He therefore called on the relevant authorities to close down the company that produces the concrete and to defame them in order to avoid a human catastrophe that could likely result from any building collapse. In addition, he has urged authorities to ensure that the company compensates him for his financial loss through the purchase of the concrete product from the company.