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Misk Lake is a 'time-bomb', says Municipal official
The Saudi Gazette
03 December 2009
JEDDAH - A leading member of the city's municipality has warned that Misk Lake is a "time-bomb" that could drown the city in raw sewage in two hours if its banks are breached.
Bassam Akhdr, a member of the Jeddah Municipal Council and the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has emphasized that projects completed in the past have not helped to resolve the problem.
He described the lake as a "time-bomb" threatening three million people living in Jeddah. He said the lake could kill millions if its reserve bank collapses.
"The entire city will drown in less than two hours, Allah forbid."
He said the rise of the water level by 12 meters in one day poses a direct threat and imminent danger to Jeddah's districts, specifically areas in close proximity like Al-Sammir, Al-Rabae and Al-Ajwad. He said leaks have already started to head toward these districts.
He has reiterated that the solutions proposed by the Mayoralty to protect the city were inefficient. The SR95 million spent by the Mayoralty for three completed projects have not helped to eliminate the danger.
"The proof of this is that in the six hours of rain that lashed Jeddah, the water level rose by 12 meters."
He said it should be taken into consideration that this is only the start of the rainy season.
One urgent solution is for the Mayoralty to prevent tankers from pouring waste into the lake. This waste should be diverted to the water treatment stations. He said recycling stations located at Al-Khomra, Rewais, and Al-Iskan are capable of absorbing the extra sanitary waste.
He said 70,000 cubic centimeters of waste is loaded into the lake by tankers, which make 3,000 trips a day.
The only solution to this problem is the urgent completion of the sanitary network projects in Jeddah and the setting up of more water recycling stations that could treat the waste before it is dumped into the sea.
He said there were already signs of pollution evident at Al-Nowras on the Corniche, which was unacceptable.
The lake is currently polluting the soil and underground water. It is also an incubator for mosquitoes which transmit dengue fever, he said.
By Ibrahim Alawi
© The Saudi Gazette 2009 http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZ...ake is a 'time-bomb', says Municipal official
The Saudi Gazette
03 December 2009
JEDDAH - A leading member of the city's municipality has warned that Misk Lake is a "time-bomb" that could drown the city in raw sewage in two hours if its banks are breached.
Bassam Akhdr, a member of the Jeddah Municipal Council and the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has emphasized that projects completed in the past have not helped to resolve the problem.
He described the lake as a "time-bomb" threatening three million people living in Jeddah. He said the lake could kill millions if its reserve bank collapses.
"The entire city will drown in less than two hours, Allah forbid."
He said the rise of the water level by 12 meters in one day poses a direct threat and imminent danger to Jeddah's districts, specifically areas in close proximity like Al-Sammir, Al-Rabae and Al-Ajwad. He said leaks have already started to head toward these districts.
He has reiterated that the solutions proposed by the Mayoralty to protect the city were inefficient. The SR95 million spent by the Mayoralty for three completed projects have not helped to eliminate the danger.
"The proof of this is that in the six hours of rain that lashed Jeddah, the water level rose by 12 meters."
He said it should be taken into consideration that this is only the start of the rainy season.
One urgent solution is for the Mayoralty to prevent tankers from pouring waste into the lake. This waste should be diverted to the water treatment stations. He said recycling stations located at Al-Khomra, Rewais, and Al-Iskan are capable of absorbing the extra sanitary waste.
He said 70,000 cubic centimeters of waste is loaded into the lake by tankers, which make 3,000 trips a day.
The only solution to this problem is the urgent completion of the sanitary network projects in Jeddah and the setting up of more water recycling stations that could treat the waste before it is dumped into the sea.
He said there were already signs of pollution evident at Al-Nowras on the Corniche, which was unacceptable.
The lake is currently polluting the soil and underground water. It is also an incubator for mosquitoes which transmit dengue fever, he said.
By Ibrahim Alawi
© The Saudi Gazette 2009 http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZ...ake is a 'time-bomb', says Municipal official