Okaz/Saudi Gazette BALASMAR — Residents of Houra village near Balasmar, 100 km north of Abha, plan to take legal action against Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA) for dumping medical waste in the village without caring about its dangerous impact on its inhabitants. The residents have urged the authority to realize the consequences of this irresponsible action, remove the waste that carries its name and emblem and punish the culprits behind the dumping of the waste. Mohammed Shadad Al-Surour condemned the authority for throwing the medical waste in Houra village. "It is an irresponsible action. Instead of educating the public about medical waste the authority dumps it in the village endangering people's health," he said. "I was surprised to see medical waste including chemical solutions, bandages and expired medicine dumped in various parts of the village during a tour," he said, adding that it endangers the health and life of human beings and animals. Al-Surour also pointed out that a number of sheep have died after drinking contaminated water from the village. "It has also contributed to spreading contagious diseases," he added. He said the SRCA threw medical waste in the village violating international regulations. "Those who have thrown the waste in the village did not consider its negative impact on the health of human beings and animals living in the area," he added. He urged the authority to launch an investigation into the scandalous issue. "A large number of animals including sheep and camels that pasture in the village drink from its contaminated water. Its negative impact will pass on to human beings when they drink milk of these animals," he explained. "This will also lead to an environmental catastrophe," Al-Surour said while criticizing the authority for its poor monitoring system. "We intend to file a lawsuit against SRCA for preventing a repetition of such incidents in the future," he said. Rashid Bin Nasser lambasted the authority for throwing medical waste in the village instead of enlightening the public about its harmful effect and providing them with necessary medical assistance. "Everybody knows the dangerous effect of medical waste on soil and water." Ahmed Bin Ibrahim Aseeri, spokesman of SRCA, denounced the irresponsible act that violates the authority's rules and regulations. "We have set up a committee to investigate the incident and take action against those responsible," he added.
