Jeddah Dump Blaze Anew

Tuesday, 22 January 2008
By Adel Al-Malki

JEDDAH - Even as the hue and cry continued over massive atmospheric pollution caused earlier this month by a week-long fire in the city's main garbage dump, another fire broke out in the same place Sunday around 6 P.M.

The city's fleet of 200 water supply tankers was diverted to help 10 Civil Defense firefighting units still battling the blaze at press-time Monday.

Brigadier Mohammad Al-Ghamdi, director of Civil Defense in Jeddah, said investigations suggest that the fire was caused when pressurized containers - even a cigarette lighter- in the garbage exploded under pressure from bulldozers clearing up the dump which is being transferred to a new site further away from the city.

"The firefighters have remained at the site since the earlier fires and there are many Civil Defense units ready for any emergency," Al-Ghamdi said.

Khaled Aqeel, deputy mayor for Services, was seen at the location of the blaze stopping garbage trucks from dumping more waste into the old garbage yard.

"Nobody started this fire intentionally," Aqeel said. The earlier blaze was allegedly caused by copper scavengers in the area.

"The dump will be moved to the new location in the next few days." Aqeel said.
Brigadier Mohammed Al-Asmari said security forces were keeping a watch for people - mostly illegal residents - trying to transporting things away from the garbage yard.

After the inferno in early January, Jeddah municipality pledged to close down the site and move the garbage yard.

"We only hear promises but we don't see action," said Nashi Al-Harbi , resident of Al-Smair neighborhood.

He said only a small part of the old garbage yard has been moved to the new location.
About the municipality's pledge to build a fence around the site, he said as he pointed a finger all round the site, "The municipality didn't build anything.

Other residents said they would take their complaints to Makkah Emir Prince Khaled Al-Faisal to end the problem once and for all.