Buhayrat District here, including staff and patients of the nearby Hira General Hospital, are up in arms over the decision to renew the permit for a giant construction machine that is causing dust to spume into homes and the hospital. The giant machine, which crushes construction material, has been in operation for 20 years. The renewed permit will allow the owners to operate it for a further 20 years. The location of the machine is only 10 meters from the hospital. Residents said those working on the giant device, have limited their working hours to certain times because of people's complaints. However, people are still demanding its removal because of the “hazard it poses to residents, patients, staff and visitors,” said Saleh Al-Hathli, a resident of the neighborhood. Ahmad Al-Sa'adi, another resident, said the renewal of the work permit was “suspicious” and that “it must be determined who was responsible for doing so”. Another resident, Ahmad Al-Lehaiyani, said the hospital must play a role in having the giant crusher removed. “The issue has been going on for too long and people have run out of patience. The hospital must protect the safety of workers and patients,” he said. Director of the hospital, Dr. Walid Hussein, said he had sent a letter to the Makkah Health Affairs Directorate. A committee was then formed, which had visited the site and found that the machine caused a great deal of pollution. It had then recommended that the machine be removed, but this was not done. “We were surprised to learn that the permit had been renewed for more years.”
