Hazardous waste removed from illegal Maqsha dump in coordinated clean-up

TDT | Manama

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Hazardous waste dumped on a vacant plot in Block 450, Maqsha, is being cleared in a joint clean-up effort involving the Northern Municipality, the area’s municipal council, and a private cleaning firm. The work follows complaints from nearby residents, who contacted Dr Shubber Ibrahim Al Wadaei, the council’s chairman and representative for the First Constituency.

He visited the site and arranged for an on-site inspection involving environmental specialists, municipal staff, the cleaning company, and the Jaafari Waqf Directorate.

Chemicals harmful to human health were found stored haphazardly on the land. Construction rubble had also piled up, turning the area into a dumping ground.

The council, with support from Civil Defence and environmental inspectors, moved to begin clearing the site without delay.

Cleaning began yesterday and is expected to take about two weeks, given the size of the area and the volume of waste.

The effort is being carried out with help from the Public Health and Environment Directorate, the Civil Defence, the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture, and the cleaning company.

Dr Al Wadaei said the site was stripped of fencing to keep it open and discourage further misuse.

He also said that the person responsible for the dumping had been identified, summoned, and met with environmental staff.

A contract was signed with a specialist firm to remove the dangerous materials and transport them to a designated facility.

The council said this cleanup forms part of a wider plan launched at the start of the current term to keep watch over empty land and prevent it being turned into rubbish tips.

The same site was cleared in November 2020 during the previous council term, but the same person later returned to dump more waste.

The case has now been passed to the Public Prosecution.

The ongoing effort aims to restore the site fully and stop any further harm to residents or the surrounding environment.