Al-Musk Lake Explained

Al-Musk Lake (Arabic: بحيرة المسك) was an artificial sewage lake east of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, a city that (at the time) lacked an underground sewage system.^[1] The lake was established by the Municipality of Jeddah in the 1990s.^[2] Over time, the lake reached dangerous levels, and in 2005, a concrete precautionary dam was erected to prevent spillover into the city.^[3]

In 2010, the lake was drained by Saudi Arabia's National Water Company, acting under government instructions. Despite having been drained of sewage, a 2017 scientific study concluded that the site remained environmentally contaminated.^[4]

See also

• Water supply and sanitation in Saudi Arabia

Notes and References

1. News: Al-Sharif. Asma . December 7, 2009. Jeddah floods recede, sewage lake still threatens . . October 8, 2023.
2. News: Al-Tamimi . Sultan . October 17, 2010. Jeddah's infamous lake drained . . October 8, 2023.
3. News: Al-Sharif. Asma . December 4, 2008 . Sewage lake threatens Jeddah . The National. October 8, 2023.
4. Rashed . M. . Niyazi . B. . June 2017 . Environmental impact assessment of the former Al-Musk Lake wastewater dumpsite using electromagnetic induction technique . Earth Systems and Environment . en . 1 . 1 . 10.1007/s41748-017-0010-1 . 2509-9426.