A 12-month ultimatum is set to be issued to relocate 100 sprawling scrapyards which pose an environmental and health hazard and sit on crude oil worth millions of dollars in Askar.

The Southern Municipal Council general secretariat has recommended the go-ahead for an urgent proposal by its chairman and area councillor Bader Al Tamimi, adding that the issue required immediate attention after a recent inferno.

However, it will require a vote from council members in their first meeting of the last term next month to give it the power of law.

Twenty-one fire engines and 85 firemen were deployed to tackle an inferno that ripped through a scrapyard in Askar last month.

Flames engulfed scrap vehicles and plastic waste as well as spread across wooden cabins and other debris.

The GDN reported in February 2018 that more than three million barrels of oil had been discovered onshore, near Askar, but exploration is being hindered by the scrapyards.

The council ordered the eviction of the scrapyards in February 2018 after news of the underground oil reserves emerged.

An alternative site has been identified in Hafeera, but the scrapyard owners refused to move, claiming there was limited space and “improper” infrastructure at the new location.

They also pointed out that they had long-term leases.

“Scrapyards have to clear the existing site immediately because they are posing an environmental and health hazard and that’s apparent with regular fires and explosions,” said Mr Al Tamimi.

“Besides, they sit on crude oil worth millions of dollars.

“Honestly, one year is too long, I had wanted all scrap vehicles, wastes and chemicals moved to Hafeera within a month.

“Three years have been wasted negotiating with scrapyard owners to take the initiative and relocate, but all of the friendly talk didn’t reach anywhere, due to leniency.

“My colleagues are suggesting that the 12 months act as a grace rent-free period to push things faster as many don’t want to pay two rents, for the current site and in Hafeera.”

The council has previously campaigned against the scrapyards over safety and security concerns, claiming they stored volatile substances that could explode if not handled properly.

In September 2016, it was claimed some were being used by “mafias” as cover to deal in illegal weapons, drugs, stolen cars and hazardous chemicals with the place seeing major fires that sometimes took up to a day to extinguish.

Earlier, Mr Al Tamimi had also suggested the relocation of a landfill and a stone quarry also in the same area as scrapyards, which are close to residential areas in Askar and the new Khalifa Town.

It was also reported in October 2018 that the quarry area had been repeatedly targeted in a spate of overnight raids by thieves who hauled away stone by the truckloads – the quarry resumed operations in 2015 after being shut down for eight years.

 

 

Mr Al Sissi

Urbaser Bahrain, which carries out waste management operations in the Northern and Southern governorates, has been awarded a contract to run the landfill site and set up sorting and recycling facilities as part of a plan to extend the site’s lifespan until 2025.

“What used to be in the middle of nowhere two decades ago is now surrounded by hundreds of homes and more Housing Ministry projects are on the way,” said area MP Mohammed Al Sissi, who is also Parliament foreign affairs, defence and national security committee chairman and National Action Charter bloc president.

“We will soon sit with all the authorities concerned to decide on the best course of action to relocate the three major sites mainly scrapyards that are the biggest headache for residents in Khalifa Town.

“The area has bigger potential and further urban expansions, and anyway the time has come to shift into something more eco-friendly.

“As for the quarry, it should be far away from homes as there is a lot of dust, and very loud sounds of large explosions and stone-breaking and the same goes with unloading wastes in the landfill.”

mohammed@gdn.com.bh

© Copyright 2020 www.gdnonline.com

Copyright 2021 Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).

Disclaimer: The content of this article is syndicated or provided to this website from an external third party provider. We are not responsible for, and do not control, such external websites, entities, applications or media publishers. The body of the text is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis and has not been edited in any way. Neither we nor our affiliates guarantee the accuracy of or endorse the views or opinions expressed in this article. Read our full disclaimer policy here.