Saudi Arabia checks 2450 Wells After Moroccan Boy’s Death

After the death of a Moroccan kid, Rayan Oran, inside one of the country’s wells, Saudi Arabia announced the filling and fortification of hundreds of abandoned wells across the kingdom.

“To safeguard the safety of everyone and decrease groundwater pollution, the ministry was able to plug in and strengthen 2450 abandoned wells,” the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture said in a message via “Twitter.”

The ministry went on to say that the filling and fortification of these wells was only the beginning and that it will continue to work to fill in the rest of the Kingdom’s exposed wells.

According to the Saudi daily Al-Watan, a spokesman for the Ministry of Environment, Saleh bin Dakhil, “the plugging of these wells seeks to safeguard the safety of lives and property while reducing aquifer contamination.”

According to Al Khaleej Online, “There is a committee of competent authorities in each region that counts the abandoned wells and outlines the procedures and controls that ensure the safety of road pedestrians and hikers.”

He noted that the project’s second phase intends to strengthen and fill in over 5,000 abandoned water wells.

Thousands of people gathered earlier today in Morocco for the funeral of Rayan, who died after being trapped for five days in a well in his town.

Rayan had been missing since Tuesday, when he fell an abandoned well in the village of “Igran” in northern Morocco, which was more than 30 meters deep.

Authorities in the country conducted a five-day-long rescue mission before he was hauled up by rescue personnel late Saturday evening before his death was reported.