I don't think much has been done over the past year to correct a problem that caver John Pint reported in one of Saudi Arabia's most important underground sites: Dahl Heet or Ain Hit.
An environmental disaster appears to be in the making at the historic Ain Hit cave/sinkhole south of Riyadh. This is where geologist Max Steineke first observed the impermeable anhydrite cap-rock layer that convinced him crude oil had been captured beneath the Eastern Province. Pint reported in February 2011 that the formerly crystal-clear waters of Ain Hit are being polluted by sewage. (The photo above, from the SaudiCaves.com website, was taken in better days, back in 2008.)
Since newly hired Saudi Aramco geologists regularly make a “pilgrimage” to this site to learn the story of Steineke’s achievement and observe the anhydrite layer for themselves, I think Saudi Aramco should take an interest in protecting the site for future generations.
John Pint’s website quotes a visitor to Ain Hit as saying:
Comparing our data with that of the survey of Gregg Gregory and co-workers from 2002, we encountered the water table ca. 27 m higher than in 2008 at our first visit. Two days later we heard from the Ministry of Water and Energy (MOWE) that 7 km to the north, sewage from Riyadh is forming a lake along the escarpment (see Google Earth). Thus Ain Heeth is involuntarily providing us with a karst tracer experiment. At this time it looks like the water table is going to keep on rising and that trillions of bacteria are making a comfortable living down there. Considering the filthy condition of the water and the recent rock falls, the cave has lost its recreational value, having turned into a very obnoxious and quite dangerous place. I doubt that I will make that trip again....
Pint followed up this posting with an email to friends:
From: JohnandSusy Pint
Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2011 12:26 AM
To: ranchopint hotmail
Subject: Pristine Cave Contaminated by Sewage
Hello friends of the Desert Caves,
Only a few years ago, cave divers in Saudi Arabia were delighted to plunge into the crystal-clear waters of Ain Hit (Ain Heet, Ain Heeth) Cave, but just a few days ago, Dr. Stephan Kempe made a shocking discovery in this cave. The story and pictures are at:
I have heard of no progress to date in correcting the problem. I certainly hope plans are in motion at some level to save Dahl Heet. Perhaps the Arabian Natural History Association (ANHA) in Dhahran could follow up on this issue.
My name is Eric Stone III, GISP RPP PLS
ReplyDeleteI am a Land Surveyor and Photogrammetrist with Saudi Aramco. I have been working in the region for several years but only one for Aramco. I have since started a small informal "Survey Chapter" of the US National Spelogical Survey Association in Dhahran, with the interest of locating, mapping, and preserving caves in the Peninsula.
I and two volunteers visited Ain Heet/Hit this past weekend, July 12th. We took air and water temperature readings, water samples and I performed a linear elevation profile survey to establish the current water elevation.
The level of pollution at the site is appalling, there are literally thousands of cans, bottles, plastic bags, food debris and even old clothing and soiled diapers lying at or in the water.
I and my team believe that this is the source of the pollution at Ain Hit. Their was a very slight breeze blowing down into the cave from above along the right side of the escarpment. This gentling pushed all of the bubbles and floating debris to the left side of the water. The right side was fairly clear, no bubbles or other indications of bad smell. Whereas the area with the concentrated debris was very foul.
I am writing a submission article to both the NSS and Saudi Aramco World for publication, including pictures and the results of our findings.