By Muhammad Al-Abdullah

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

DAMMAM -- Owners of car repair shops have turned the industrial area near the Turkish neighborhood on Tarout Island into a dumping site, sparking public anger.

According to many residents of the area, some construction companies, taking advantage of the situation, have begun to dump construction waste in the area, making the situation even worse. The residents called on Al-Qatif Municipality to do their job of preventing pollution by imposing tough fines on those responsible.

Hasan Al-Mukhtar, a resident of Tarout Island, while drawing the attention of the authorities to growing pollution in the industrial area, he called on officials to hold those responsible accountable.

“The best way to put an end to this problem is to impose hefty fines on violators,” said Mukhtar.

He called on the municipality to install signs at the location to warn car repair shops and construction companies against dumping waste in the area.

Ali Al-Muhsin, another resident, stressed the importance of conducting routine field inspections on a daily basis. He suggested the opening of a municipality office at the location so it would be easier for the officials to monitor the place.

Al-Muhsin said many residents filed complaints by calling the toll free number 940 and by meeting officials face to face at the municipality. They also raised the issue with members of the municipal council but without any luck.

Head of Al-Qatif Municipality Ziyad Mugharbel said the municipality was doing all in its power to ensure the safety of residents on the island. He admitted that there were violations committed but said they were meeting them with fines and other punishments.

Mugharbel said the municipality closed down a number of car repair shops and fined a number of them for throwing garbage at the place. The municipality also forced some of the shops to clean up the area at their own expense.