Okaz/Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — As soon as their children leave for school, parents living in Al-Samir district of Jeddah start worrying about their safety and their hearts keep pounding until the children come back home in the afternoon. The parents are particularly worried because of the swamp that surrounds the No. 197 Girls Primary School. The lake on the street was formed a long time ago, threatening the area around the school with high pollution. It is a breeding ground for disease-carrying insects and a foul smell emanating from the lake permeates the neighborhood. The residents of Al-Ajawed, which is part of Al-Samir district, attributed the problem to underground water, which is gushing out to the surface. They said they lost their way between the municipality and the National Water Company (NWC), who exchange blame for responsibility. According to the residents, the surface water is the responsibility of the municipality while the NWC is in charge of the ground water. The residents asked both the municipality and the company to resolve the problem instead of trading accusations and shifting responsibility. They said the problem was aggravating each day with no imminent solution in sight. Abdullah Al-Sulami, a parent, described the conditions in which the girls study as "unhealthy" and said they were perplexed by the attitude of the municipality and the water company as each one is holding the other responsible. "Instead of exchanging blame, they should come together to solve the problem before it is too late," he said. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi, another parent, said the families lived in constant fear until their daughters came back from school. "We fear that something bad my happen to our daughters because of the water surrounding the school," he said.
