JAZAN — A total of 80 villages south of Abu Uraish have been reeling under drought for years and the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture has not done anything to alleviate people's suffering, residents said. Saeed Abdullah said they have been asking the ministry to solve the issue of drought in the villages for years. "All what we receive is promises without any action. We had to take matters into our own hands. We collected money and sank our own wells. Each well cost us at least SR50,000. Otherwise, we rely on water tankers that come from the city, which is also an expensive solution," said Abdullah. Mousa Ali said the ministry has ignored them and the water network projects have failed to reach them. "We are forced to dig our own wells and buy water tankers. A truck can cost up to SR200," said Ali. Salim Awaji said many of the people who live in these villages cannot afford the alternatives presented. "Why don't we have the water network connected to us? We have been facing the problem for years," said Awaji. Jazan Water Directorate spokesman Alaa Kharad said the directorate is working on providing water for the villages south of Abu Uraish.
