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A quiet neighbourhood in Samaheej has become the centre of a baffling mystery – and a growing crisis – as groundwater continues to bubble up beneath homes.
They are not sure whether they are sitting on a fresh water spring supply ready for bottling or leaky seawater responsible for cracking walls and damaging foundations.
Residents are both alarmed and intrigued over what began as an isolated complaint from a single house on Road 3472, Block 234 that has now revealed itself to be a much wider problem.
Across the block, residents have reported water seeping through floors and rising in their yards, sparking fears of long-term structural damage and, surprisingly, curiosity about what lies beneath their homes.
The phenomenon came to official attention when area councillor Fadel Al Oud, who is also the Muharraq Municipal Council’s financial, administrative and legislative committee chairman, submitted an urgent memo to Council Chairman Abdulaziz Al Naar requesting the matter be listed for debate.
Mr Al Oud
In his letter, Mr Al Oud described the situation as ‘critical’, urging the council to send a specialised government technical team to the site and to find ‘a radical and urgent solution’ to stop the flow of water or contain it.
The note details serious structural damage – cracked floors, weakened walls and corroded foundations – alongside rising humidity and the threat of mold, creating what he called ‘an unhealthy environment’ for residents.
Mr Al Oud added that beyond the damage, there’s mystery. Where is the water coming from?
“I am not an expert, so I don’t know if it is sweet water or sea water, taking into account that it is a reclaimed neighbourhood,” said Mr Al Oud. “If it is sweet water then it will be one of those fresh water springs in the middle of the sea called ‘Kawkab’. That would be amazing because that is rich mineral water that could be sold.”
Residents are wondering whether they are sitting on a fountain of wealth and could package the find as Samaheej’s very own equivalent to the French Alps made evian water.
However, if the rising water turns out to be salty, he added, it could still be useful.
“It could be extracted too and used for irrigation with residents also being paid,” he suggested.
Whether a miracle spring or a seawater intrusion, the councillor insists the problem cannot be ignored. “Homes are flooded and significant damage caused. We want urgent action,” he said, stressing that residents deserve government compensation if the flooding stems from land issues.
“Experts are now being called in to test the water and determine its source,” added Mr Al Oud. “Given that Samaheej is part of a reclaimed coastal zone, specialists say possible explanations include rising groundwater tables, leaks in old drainage systems, or natural underground springs being reactivated due to shifts in pressure and soil composition.”
The Muharraq Municipal Council has listed the matter as an urgent agenda item for its upcoming meeting tomorrow.
“Until then, residents will continue to live with pumps running, walls drying and questions swirling,” said Mr Al Oud. “Is Samaheej sitting atop a hidden natural spring – or a failing foundation of reclaimed land?
“As the mystery deepens, one thing is certain: the water is rising, and so are the concerns.”
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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