Residents have blamed the high water table in Nasem District here for mosquito breeding grounds which have produced four new cases of dengue fever. Local residents have made repeated pleas to the mayoralty to stop the underground water from rising which leaves stagnant pools in the district all year round. The pools also produce unpleasant odors and attract rodents and mosquitoes. A year ago more than 170 residents submitted a petition to officials at the mayoralty asking them to resolve the issue, but they have still not received any reply. “The underground water sprouts out and has turned the district into an island,” says local resident Hassan Al-Sobhi. “The stagnant water has damaged the roads in the district, and children are suffering from chest problems and serious infectious diseases.” Officials say residents will have to be patient. “The district's drainage project is part of the town's master network plan, so it will only become operational upon the completion of the integrated network,” Obaid Al-Thaqfi, Director of Sanitary Sewers at the mayoralty, said. Drainage waste in districts usually goes to a treatment station and then into the sea. “Since construction work on the sanitary network in some districts is still continuing, drains there will not be connected to the treatment station. So the problem will continue until construction work on drains in the district is finished,” Al
