MADINA: Okaz/Saudi Gazette has learned that Prince Naif, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, is looking into claims that the Saudi Arabian Mining Company – Ma'aden – is responsible for high levels of harmful substances in the earth and air at Mahd Al-Dhahab. Prince Naif has taken possession of the case files in order to decide a ruling on the company regarding the pollution. The Ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources said Saturday that it bore no responsibility for the pollution, which has been registered in studies, conducted in the area, and instead blamed the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME). Last month Saudi Gazette reported that Prince Abdulaziz Bin Majed, Emir of Madina, had told the Ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources to “make all the necessary arrangements” for the Saudi Arabian Mining Company to put in place environmental measures at Mahd Al-Dhahab. The order, issued in a telegram from the Prince to the ministry, came in response to complaints from local residents over pollution as well as a Health Affairs report that cited increasing numbers of cases of chest complaints, kidney failure and tumors. Other academic reports cited high levels of harmful substances in the earth in the region, reports that Ma'aden attempted to refute by contracting a Canadian university to carry out its own study. The study, however, confirmed the original analyses. The ministry has since been asked to provide evidence refuting the claims made in all relevant reports by a court in Makkah, and prosecuting lawyer Fahd Al-Uqaili said that the ministry had “ignored all the facts on the ground”, including the conclusions of scientific studies conducted by specialized research centers both in the Kingdom and abroad”. “That shows the insistence of Ma'aden in continuing to violate Saudi environmental law … posing a threat to both the environment and the local population,” he said. The gold and silver mine at Mahd Al-Dhahab is the largest in the Kingdom, producing approximately 100,000 ounces of gold and 300,000 ounces of silver per year.
