UAE | General
Desert between UAE-Saudi border used as toilet
According to the truck drivers, the queue moves very slowly and about 6,000 trucks are presently waiting at the border.
- By Binsal Abdul Kader, Staff Reporter, Gulf News
- Published: 00:00 November 18, 2009
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I feel the headline of this report should have focussed on the desperate plight of these helpless men, caught in a situation not of their making. The title should immediately alert the reader on what follows. I sincerely hope these men get timely help before they suffer dehydration.
Vyjayanthimala Jacobs, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Al Ghuwaifat: "There are a few toilets near the parking areas between the two border checkpoints [of Saudi Arabia and the UAE], but thousands of people ... queue, so I cannot think of going there," Ahmad Ali, an Indian truck driver who reached the second parking area — out of the seven parking lots — after 48 hours of waiting, said.
The truckers alleged that the slow clearance by Saudi customs authorities has caused the crisis.
"I don't know how to survive another three-four days on the border as I am running out of water," Ali said.
He said the situation is chaotic as some of the frustrated drivers jump the queue and a fight breaks out. Police have to intervene. According to the truck drivers, the queue moves very slowly and about 6,000 trucks are presently waiting at the border.
The drivers who are in the 10-kilometre-long queue on Sila Road said they needed to store a lot of water as they were using the desert as a toilet.
"We have vast areas for that purpose in front of us. But, how do you store water for another three-four days?," Mohammad Tawfiq, a 50-year-old Egyptian driver, said.
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