SPRAWLING scrapyards sitting on crude oil worth millions of dollars in Askar are set to be relocated this year.
Work on the first phase of the new site in Hafeera is expected to end before mid-June, the Southern Municipal Council has been informed.
Area councillor Ali Al Shaikh also revealed that 50 plots of between 2,000sqm and 4,000sqm would be ready in the first phase, with 60 plots being prepared in the second phase.
Currently, 92 scrapyards occupy space in Askar.
Meanwhile, councillors voted unanimously to issue ultimatums to scrapyard owners to clear the site when the first batch is moved and have instructed the Southern Municipality to make the necessary arrangements.
“An ultimatum would be given once the first batch is given space in Hafeera before legal action is taken,” said Mr Al Shaikh.
“This process will continue until all scrapyards are cleared from Askar as we fast-track excavations and allow the country to benefit from the crude oil.”
The GDN reported in February 2018 that Tatweer Petroleum had told former Southern Municipal Council members that between three and four million barrels of oil worth more than $175 million then had been found located near Askar.
The figure is probably now a conservative $350m, based on the current price for a barrel of oil.
In July 2021, 21 fire engines and 85 firemen were deployed to tackle a large blaze that ripped through a scrapyard in Askar.
“Excavation takes time and the faster those scrapyards are removed, the faster work can commence,” said the council’s services and public utilities committee chairman Hamad Al Zoubi.
“We are also regularly campaigning against the scrapyards over safety and security concerns as they store volatile substances that could explode if not handled properly, and there are homes nearby.”
In September 2016, it was also claimed that some of the scrapyards were being used by ‘mafias’ as a cover for dealings in illegal weapons, drugs, stolen cars and hazardous chemicals.
“Multiple fires and crimes have occurred on those sites over the years because warehouses have been built for flammable substances, used as a hideout for fugitives, and even places to breed cattle,” said Mr Al Zoubi.
Scrapyards have existed on land near Alba for around three decades.
Their owners have over the years denied the claims against their businesses as unsubstantiated, have refused relocation, claiming there was limited space and unsuitable infrastructure at the suggested new location, while pointing out they had long-term leases for the sites they currently occupy.
Scrapyard owners told the council earlier that the new proposed location was smaller, adding that land contracts were ‘valid’ with the Southern Municipality, and they preferred to stay put.
“The new site proposal should be an upgrade to the existing yards and not something lower,” they said in a joint statement.
The current area was originally chosen for its remoteness, but fast encroaching urban development, including Riffa Views, Bahrain’s first residential golf and leisure community, has spurred fears that the yards now pose potential health and safety risks.
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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