SAIHAT – Farms west of Saihat City, Qatif governorate, claimed large quantities of poisonous chemical methanol have been dumped near them for the last seven years by an industrial company in Al-Khobar. Companies have reportedly resorted to this practice to save money instead of paying a specialized company to do the job instead and dispose of hazardous and poisonous materials without harming the environment. Saihat beach has also been largely affected by poisonous chemicals that have been dumped near the farms. Recently a team from Aramco Company visited one of the affected farms and wrote a report about it. The team took methanol samples from the farm. Qatif Municipal Council sent a letter to the company requesting an explanation for its actions, but has received no response so far, One of the farmers said the soil and crops of several farms, including his, have been destroyed because the company does not want to pay money to dispose of the hazardous materials safely. One of the farms near where huge quantities of methanol have been dumped emanates odorous and poisonous gases. The deputy head of the fishermen society of the Eastern Province, Jafar Al-Safwani, said he sent some methanol samples to a chemical company and requested it to send him an estimate for disposal costs. He said the company charges SR1.50 for each liter of hazardous material that needs to be disposed, meaning a tanker of 8,000 liters of methanol can cost up to SR12,000. The company dumps 16,000 liters on a daily basis. It costs SR480,000 to dispose 320,000 liters a month and around SR5.76 million a year. The company saves over SR5 million a year by dumping methanol on the farms. The chairman of Qatif Municipal Council Abbas Al-Shamsi confirmed Saihat coasts were severely affected by chemical pollutants, according to a governorate study. Al Yaum visited one of the farms and found that 70 percent of the methanol barrels that were kept there for a week had been emptied on the farm. The Presidency of Meteorology and Environment said a team from the presidency visited the farm and wrote a report as well showing how badly these areas were affected. — SG
