A row has broken out between Jeddah Mayoralty and the National Water Company over the responsibility for the accumulated pools of dirty water in Al-Ajaweed District in the city. The mayoralty said the accumulation is of ground water mixed with sewage water and as such it is the responsibility of the National Water Company (NWC). However, the NWC insists that its role is only to implement sewage networks and remove water on the surface of streets. Al-Ajaweed residents have grown tired of complaining about the pools of stagnant water and have requested implementation of urgent sewage projects, Al-Madina newspaper said Wednesday. Abdullah Al-Zahrani, a resident of the district, said the district was waiting to see the promises of Jeddah Mayoralty and NWC implemented on the ground. “They promised us that they would get rid of these pools of dirty water which cause the spread of mosquitoes. A few days ago, we discovered another pool of stagnant water and reported it to Jeddah Mayoralty,” he said. Another resident, Saud Al-Otaibi, said the pool was discovered by chance and that residents have requested the mayoralty to get rid of it as soon as possible. Muhammad Qatan, director of rain projects at the Jeddah Mayoralty, said it was possible that the pool of water was formed as a result of rainfall last year. “Since this pool of water is made up of rainfall and sewage water, it is the responsibility of the NWC. The mayoralty has nothing to do with it.” However, Abdullah Al-Assaf, the NWC director of the national business unit, said his body was responsible for 18 locations that have water on the surface and “We will dry up these spots. As for large pools of water, it's not our responsibility. Our job is to dry off water of the surface of streets located in districts.”
