Rumors of the impending collapse of a dam at ‘Misk Lake’, the sardonic name give to a waste containment pond outside of Jeddah, appear to be simply rumors. This Arab News reports says everything is in good shape at the lake, with three meters of headroom left above the water level.

The article does note an anomaly, however: Since last week’s rain, no tankers have been dumping sewage into the lake, as a precautionary measure. If not in the lake, where has that sewage been going? The article also points out that primarily African workers live in the shadow of the lake. They’re reluctant to move away as this is where their homes and jobs are.

Credit Arab News: Misk Lake

Sewage lake dam safe
Michel Cousins | Arab New

JEDDAH: Fears that the massive earth dam holding the sewage lake (Musk lake) in the hills east of Jeddah might burst and flood the city appear somewhat exaggerated.

An Arab News team went to investigate the dam on Tuesday and it appeared there was little to worry about. On Monday, the Civil Defense warned residents in Jeddah’s Al-Samr 3 district to evacuate their homes, fearing that the dam might burst. The warning sparked panic among residents elsewhere in eastern areas of the city.

The dam, some 20 meters wide, appeared in good repair. There were no breaches to be seen. What could be seen however, were a number of reporters, a couple of TV crews and carloads of sightseers. A bemused policeman in his vehicle paid little attention to the proceedings. No one was worried. No one was running away in panic, as had been the case the day before.
…

The UAE’s The National writes about the issue and provides these details about the retention area:

About 800 tanker trucks dump 50,000 cubic metres [13 million US gallons] of sewage each day into the lake, which covers an area of 2.6 square kilometres.