The branch of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture in Makkah Al-Mukarramah region and its affiliated offices seized 5 artesian well rigs operating without a permit in Jeddah Governorate, during field monitoring campaigns to ensure the implementation of the water system and the related executive regulations, and to follow up monitoring violations of random well drilling in the region during the blessed Eid Al-Fitr holiday. . The Director of the Water Department at the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture branch in Makkah Al-Mukarramah Region, Eng. Muhyi bin Abdul Rahman Al-Qubaisi, stated that the control and inspection teams seized, during the blessed Eid Al-Fitr holiday, 5 drilling rigs for artesian wells operating without a permit in Jeddah Governorate, (two diggers in Al-Gawla, and 3 drilling rigs in Asfan), and Sheba. Violating the Al-Harazat neighborhood in Jeddah, and 5 abandoned, unfortified artesian wells, including an abandoned well in the Abu Jaala neighborhood in Jeddah, and the branch took legal measures against the owners of drilling equipment that operates without a permit, and the owners of wells in accordance with the water system and its implementing regulations.
For his part, the Director General of the Environment, Water and Agriculture Branch in Makkah Al-Mukarramah Region, Eng. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Khalif, stressed the importance of issuing the regular license to drill wells, to organize and control the drilling and rehabilitation of wells, the extraction of groundwater, and the contracting of drilling wells by issuing the necessary licenses, in addition to controlling the quantities of water. extracted under the license, to ensure fairness and sustainability of water resources, indicating that the deadline for disclosing unlicensed wells to individuals, government agencies, or the private sector expires after being extended on 2/19/1445 AH, calling for speedy disclosure before the deadline expires. To avoid issuing legal penalties against violators.