Roadside car washers - Are these people trying to earn a living a nuisance for Bahrain?

TDT | Manama                 

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com 

Report by Zahra Ayaz

As street washing can bring dirt and grime from the car that flows into nearby roads and drains, more professional car wash services could aid in eradicating the menace of illegal car cleaners in the Kingdom.

When asked around, several claimed that they frequently struggle to cross the puddles of water left on public roads after car washing and had called for installing suitable drainages in driveways.

Throughout the residential, financial and entertainment districts, an army of migrant workers, commonly from Asia, scrub and polish the vehicles, where their average monthly wage can go up to BD 80.

For an extra 10 bucks in constant fear

Speaking to The Daily Tribune, Mohammed Hanif, a 33-year-old-labourer, said, “I have been working since 6 am on a construction site, and in the evening,

I take bucket and rags from home and washes cars parked around coffee shops in Adliya.

"Like me, many of us work in fear of being deported, so we take this job part-time to earn an extra BD10 to BD20.

“I don't think the roads are getting unclean; the water dries after a while. However, some store owners are bothered and ask us to leave.

"We receive less money now than we did in the past, for there is more competition from car washing services.”

‘Less works now’

Another migrant worker, who washes the cars near Manama, told us, “Car washing has become one of the common ways of raising some money for people back home.

“Sometimes we get to work, and sometimes we just stand for hours for nothing.”

Fine, deportation on cards

According to sources, Immigration mainly deals with such cases.

“If found washing cars illegally, there will face fine or deportation. Hundreds of migrant workers who allegedly ran away from their sponsors try to earn a living by washing cars.

“They are under constant threat of being sent packing from the Kingdom.”

Harms environment

Speaking to The Daily Tribune, a shop owner, who does not want to be named, said, “People are washing their cars in the morning, leaving puddles of dirty water on the public roads."

“Car cleaners would urge owners to allow them to clean their vehicles as soon as they pulled into any nearby parking lot.

“People who give their cars for cleaning on public roads should realise that it is also one of the most environmentally unfriendly chores we can do on the roads.”