MOUNTAINS of construction waste illegally dumped at the centre of a residential area have created a haven for rodents and a fire hazard threatening the safety of residents.
Broken cement blocks, paint cans, furniture, dumped food and tonnes of waste randomly strewn at Block 450 in Al Muqsha have spilled over onto private land and public roads, raising an alarm among residents and officials.
The site was inspected yesterday by government authorities including representatives from the Civil Defence, Traffic Police, Health Ministry, Supreme Council for Environment (SCE), Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry, Northern Municipality and Northern Municipal Council.
During the visit, it was revealed the land was owned by the Jaffari Waqf Directorate but has been rented out to a private investor since 1997 to develop stores and use the rest of the land for agricultural purposes.
However, an eviction verdict was issued in 2014 and again in 2018 because the investor ignored the contract terms with no action taken since while waste continues to pile up reaching heights of almost 10 metres.
While on site the GDN witnessed an unlicensed truck driver, hired by the investor, attempting to clear some of the waste and was arrested by the Traffic Police.
“This is an abhorrent and blatant violation of not only three laws in Bahrain but also common sense and human decency,” said area councillor Dr Sayed Shubbar Al Wedai, who is also an environmental expert.
“Mountains of waste have compounded over the years spilling into the public road and on private property and God knows what rodents and creatures are lurking underneath this debris, with many complications posing a threat to the environment, road safety and health, which is a menace.
“This violates the 1996 Environment Law, the 2018 Public Health Law and the 2019 Cleanliness Law and all human decency and morals.
“Imagine if a fire breaks out the flames will rip through the entire area threatening lives and property and we can never stand by and wait for a disaster to break out before acting.
“Action needs to be taken now to remove this menace and punish the violator before a catastrophe happens that we can’t reverse.”
The Health Ministry’s rodent control department acting director Hawra Mahdi also highlighted the dangers caused by rodents, including transmission of diseases, destruction of property and infesting houses.
“This is an alarming situation as the compounded construction waste and household waste from the neighbouring houses has created the perfect environment and breeding ground for rodents,” said Ms Mahdi while on site.
“We combat the rodents using approved poisons but the main reason behind this is the culmination of waste regularly and in such large quantities.
“If this waste is cleared then 80 per cent of the problem faced by our department will be solved and that is the first step.”
Meanwhile, Civil Defence captain engineer Mohammed Alaabar said a risk assessment was being carried out.
“The classification of this site and monitoring of the activities are followed by different government agencies, and our concern is the safety relevant to the current use,” he said.
“We are at the moment carrying a general risk assessment to the area in our professional field.”
Following the visit, the authorities concerned will generate technical reports in their specialities in order to provide a comprehensive understanding of the entire situation and take an executive decision.
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