Visitors to the Corniche here have complained about the reappearance of contaminated water and a large slick of pollution on the sea near the Corniche pavement. This area is frequented daily by thousands of people. Distraught Corniche visitors point out that experts from the Marine Sciences College have already issued warnings about the pollution of a large section of Al-Nawras Lake in the Corniche. “The situation in the Corniche has a become a source of great worry especially the nasty odor emanating from the Nawras Lake due to the polluted water. I was amazed to see a water pipe discharging contaminated water into the sea especially in the area frequented by thousands of visitors who come to breathe clean fresh air,” Hamoud Al-Ghathami, a visitor, said. Another visitor, Khaled Al-Muttari, agreed: This poses a crucial question about the role of the authorities responsible for the environment since the pumping of polluted water into the sea is done in broad daylight, he said. “It means it is being done with the full knowledge of the authorities concerned including the Jeddah Mayoralty,” he added. A source at the mayoralty said officials found that some of the amusement parks and hotels in the vicinity pour their waste into the sea through special pipes. “They have already been issued warnings,” the source said. The source said the mayoralty has enough proof to show that some water recycling stations are not abiding by the specifications and standards set by the Presidency of Meteorology and Environmental Protection. The source said authorities are planning to install measurement devices in these stations to measure the amount of polluted water discharged into the sea.
