A warnng has gone out of a possible environmental and health disaster in Muharraq after residents complained of sewage building up due to a lack of vacuum tankers.
A councillor claimed that there was only one tanker for at least 1,000 homes in an area in Hidd which lacks sanitation facilities.
Area councillor Abdulaziz Al Ka’abi, speaking at the Muharraq Municipal Council’s weekly session yesterday, wondered how would Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Minister Essam Khalaf react if his home was overflowing with sewage.
He urged MPs to intervene to solve the problem before it exploded into a crisis.
The affected areas are in blocks 109 and 113 which have nine residential buildings built in 2002 and housing hundreds of families. Each building has six to 10 floors.
The sewage issue has already caused tension between the affected residents and entities responsible for cleaning the areas.
Mr Al Ka’abi pointed out that, in one instance, sewage collected on a plot of land in Hidd and turned into an ugly green colour with several types of harmful insects settling on it, spreading diseases in the area with the ministry doing nothing about it.
“It’s ironical that the ministry inspectors inform the families that they have to dispose of the excess water in their areas while it is the ministry’s duty to do so, considering it charges monthly infrastructure fees,” he said.
“Why were the infrastructure fees approved while 1,000 homes in Muharraq are being neglected and the ministry is turning a blind eye to setting up sanitation services.
“In the first place, it is a humanitarian service, not to mention that it is a contract with every resident and citizen who pays those exorbitant fees and adheres to them.
“Muharraq needs no less than 10 tankers to meet its needs and providing them must be a top priority because it is related to the environment, cleanliness, providing citizens’ comfort and stability,” he said.
Despite paying infrastructure fees nearly 1000 homes are not getting sanitation services.
Mr Al Ka’abi said the areas neglected by the ministry are in various parts of Muharraq and they are usually new areas.
Several investors and building owners have complained that despite paying between BD60,000 and BD100,000 in infrastructure fees the region is still lacking proper sanitation and pavement.
They even incur losses of about BD200 per month to drain sewage at their own expense, which means that the total amount they incurred during the past years amounts to tens of thousands of dinars.
The GDN reported last month that residents in Arad were signing a petition calling for legal action against Mr Khalaf over foul smells emanating from the new sewage network.
Area councillor Ahmed Al Meghawi is spearheading the appeal.
“The sewage network hasn’t been done properly and residents are suffering from foul smells,” he said.
The network covers blocks 241, 244 and 245.
ghazi@gdn.com.bh
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