Doha
Residents of the Al Mashaf area in Al Wukair have expressed concern over the continued accumulation of sewage water in their neighbourhood, local Arabic daily Arrayah has reported.
The inhabitants stressed that the problem has existed for years and leads to problems such as the spread of a foul smell in the area as well as the proliferation of rodents and insects. The accumulated water can also cause damage to buildings there, they point out.
The residents said their complaints had not yielded any results for nearly five years, claiming that the agencies they approached held each other responsible for removing the stagnant water from the area. The problem, meanwhile, persisted.
Umm Mohamed, a Qatari house owner, said she had opened a beauty salon but started losing customers as people avoided going to the place due to the inconvenience caused by the accumulated water, including the odour. Eventually, she had to close the salon.
She also said water had seeped into the house and this could jeopardise the safety of the building.
Zayid al-Yousef, another resident of the area, said: "The situation is very bad and the authorities concerned do not seem to care about the daily sufferings of the inhabitants."
He attributed the problem of water accumulation to the "lack of a proper sewage system". Further, al-Yousef complained that the area lacked proper lightning at night, which could lead to road accidents.
The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) had earlier announced a project to develop West Al Mashaf, aiming to upgrade infrastructure on 2,462 plots spread over 7,197,157sqm in three phases.
The project includes the creation a comprehensive sewage system and a network of roads along with facilities such as adequate lighting and green areas. It is slated for completion in the second quarter of 2017.
