By Badr Al-Quthami

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

TAIF – The people of Midhbae district in Hawiya, north of Taif, have called upon the National Water Company (NWC) to establish a sewage system and end the formation of puddles that spread bad smell, produce disease-carrying mosquitoes and destroy paved roads.

“We request the NWC to look into our problems sympathetically and establish a drinking water network. At present, we depend on water truck drivers, who charge exorbitant rates exploiting the absence of a monitoring authority,” said Nasser Saud Al-Dahasi while speaking to Okaz/Saudi Gazette.

He said a large number of pools have developed in various parts of Midhbae due to absence of a sewage system. “This has resulted in spreading infectious diseases and environmental pollution. The pools serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes,” he added.

“We cannot keep our windows open due to the bad smell that comes out of the swamps,” Al-Dahasi said. “This problem gets complicated during the rainy season,” he added.

Mastur Al-Otaibi said the surfacing of sewage has been one of the perennial problems facing the neighborhood since it was established 70 years ago.

“We don’t get drinking water through pipelines,” he said while urging NWC to solve the drinking water and sewage problems in the area without further delay.

Al-Otaibi said they had approached NWC’s office in Taif several times to find a solution. “They have told us to wait for the opening of a sewage water purification plant north of Taif. We don’t know the reason for the delay in implementing this project,” he added.

Saad Maeed Al-Quthami said the NWC had implemented a temporary solution for the sewage problem, which is pumping out sewage from the streets with the help of tanker trucks.

“This solution will not work as it covers only 20 percent of the sewage surfaced onto the streets,” Al-Quthami said, adding that the number of tankers used for removing sewage has decreased, worsening the situation. “We need a drastic solution for the problem.”

Nasser Al-Otaibi called upon the Ministry of Environment, Water and Electricity to appoint a special committee to look into their problems. “We need deployment of more tankers to remove sewage until a full-fledged sewage network is established,” he said.

He highlighted the drinking water problem being faced by Midhbae residents. “We still rely on the mercy of tanker drivers to quench our thirst,” he added.