JEDDAH — Ground water is getting mixed with leaking fuel from a petrol station in Jeddah's Al-Marwah 3 district, local residents claimed. Residents of Al-Qurtubiah Street are fearful of a possible catastrophic explosion. A resident said a contractor began digging the street to lay sewer pipes. They stopped work as the ground water was mixing with leaking fuel from a petrol station on the main street. The Civil Defense was notified and they inspected the area. They confirmed in a written report that the ground water was getting mixed with fuel. A committee of representatives from the airport authority, the contractor, and the water and sewer company inspected the site and confirmed the findings. The Civil Defense stopped all work until the problem was dealt with. The petrol station, however, continued operating. The Civil Defense agreed to resume work on the condition that the contractor prepares a monitoring station. Residents accused the water company, contractor, Civil Defense, airport authority, and the Jeddah municipality of neglecting to take action. Okaz/Saudi Gazette contacted the director of Jeddah Civil Defense, Turki Al-Harthi, who said his department will not stop monitoring such problems until they are resolved. He said that if it is proved that there is a leakage from the petrol station, it would be closed. He said he believed the station had been shut down.
