long rising groundwater at the house of a man in Ain Dar, 40 kilometers to the west of Baqaiq, has led to cracks and the threat of collapse. Madhi Al-Hajari, the owner of the house, said he first noticed groundwater appearing outside the house, and that it soon became polluted with sewer water producing intolerable odors and attracting insects. He said he approached the municipality in Ain Dar and the water board, but “got no response”. He said that the Civil Defense had examined the property and declared it unfit for habitation. “They said it was unsafe and that it could collapse after they saw the large cracks that had appeared in the walls all over the house,” Al-Hajari said. “I can't just leave the house as I don't have the money. I don't earn enough to afford rents these days.” A Civil Defense official confirmed that the house had been examined. “A report was drawn up and passed on to the committee that looks at houses vulnerable to collapse so that it can take the necessary measures,” he said. The head of the region's water administration said, however, that no complaint had been received, and said that rising groundwater was the responsibility of the municipality.
