Nizwa, March 15 - Birkat al Mouz residents, near Nizwa in Al Dakhiliyah are aghast today at the foul smell and toxic smoke emanating from a rubbish tip area a mere 500 metres from the Main Highway Route 15, Birkat Al Mouz exit. Fires have been lit in at least six different locations and a black cloud, much thicker and harsher than could be captured by this reporter, was being blown directly towards the township. Animal waste, construction debris and burning tyres are creating significant respiratory issues for local residents. The dirty, black cloud, and acrid smell of what appears to be burning tyres would be bad enough on its own, but burning and decaying animal waste is just too much for the township’s residents downwind from the blazing, smoking, tip site.
A nearby local resident was unable to shed any light upon who may have been responsible for this uncomfortable and distressing situation. Meanwhile, a mother of three children, one newborn, was extremely upset that her children were all suffering from someone’s lack of thought, and concerned that “at the very time we all need fresh air, to fight COVID-19, we have to keep our kids inside.” Enquiries via the Ministry of Health, municipal authorities, and other agencies had not resolved the issue at the time of writing.
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