MAKKAH — The Maabdah branch municipality in Makkah has launched a massive crackdown campaign against the mostly expatriate street car washers. Khaled Al-Migairshi, chairman of the municipality's department of commercial markets, said the campaign targeted all streets and car parks in the district where the washers usually carry out their business. He said more than 150 water barrels and other water containers the washers were using have been confiscated along with a number of motorbikes they used for transport. “The illegal car washers do not only waste large quantities of water and destroy the asphalting but they also damage the beauty of the holy city,” he said. Al-Migairshi also said as many as 98 cartons of water were seized and destroyed because they were not hygienically stored and exposed to the sun. He said the water were ready for distribution among vendors to sell to residents, Umrah pilgrims and visitors. Al-Migairshi said the crackdown was part of the municipality's continued efforts to keep the city clean, improve its outlook, curb environmental pollution and boost the role of the citizens in preserving the environment.
