Saudi Gazette report

DAMMAM — Residents of several districts in west Dammam, upset over the recurrent disruption of water supply to their neighborhoods, have demanded urgent solutions to their problem, which they described as highly disturbing.

The residents pointed out that they were facing a real dilemma because of the persisting water shortage. The supply stops almost semi-weekly and the residents› suffering continued, despite they having installed underground water reservoirs, Al-Yaum newspaper reported.

The residents said they informed the Water Directorate in the Eastern Province about the interruptions and water shortage in their homes and asked it to explain the real reasons for the interruption. But they never received any satisfactory answer.

Ahmad Hassan Al-Qarni said: «The residents of Al-Manar and surrounding neighborhoods in west Dammam welcomed the delivery of desalinated water to our homes, which started about two months ago. But soon the supply stopped without warning and they again pumped saltwater to our homes. The water crisis is disturbing and there is no solution in sight.»

He pointed out that the neighboring area of Zahrat Al-Faisaliah received water without any interruption. He called on the competent authorities to help pump desalinated water services to Al-Manar as well as its neighboring districts. Khalid Al-Dosari said the water crisis had become quite frequent in many of the neighborhoods located west of Dammam.

He asked people working in the Eastern Province Water Directorate to find a permanent solution to the supply disruptions in their area and not resort to temporary solutions that do not end their problem. He recounted the difficulties people faced in their homes without water. Some are forced to leave their homes in search of water while others request water tankers.

Al-Dosari pointed to the suffering of his family and his neighbors from the scarcity of water. He said their household expenses increased because they had to buy water tankers quite often, while truck owners tend raise their prices on weekends when demand was high.

Abdulwahab Al-Zahrani stressed the need to establish a water directorate in the west of Dammam. He said the directorate must take into account the urban development and population growth in the western part of the city. He said the desalination plants must increase their output to meet the demand.

Al-Zahrani said citizens pay their water bills regularly hoping to get the best service, but the interruption of supply makes them pay high amounts to water truck operators, who exploit the crisis and increase their prices to excessive levels in the absence of any official monitoring.

He pointed out that even though the supply interruptions persisted, the water meters were running and bills issued as normal. He said he repeatedly tried to contact the Water Directorate but never got any response.

Director General of Water in the Eastern Province Amer Al-Mutairi the desalinated water network was being fed consistently, but in case of low supply, well water would be pumped alternatively to compensate for the shortage.