Authorities detected serious violations that posed public health risks.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Commerce has shut down 12 water bottling plants in Jeddah after inspectors uncovered serious violations that authorities said posed risks to public health.
The ministry said the facilities were closed immediately following joint inspection campaigns conducted in coordination with eight government agencies. Those responsible were arrested and referred to the relevant security authorities to complete legal proceedings.
According to the ministry, inspectors found that the plants were using water from unidentified sources in production, illegally extracting water from the public supply network, and bottling it in containers belonging to licensed companies without authorisation.
Investigators also found that operators used licences for bottled water sales and retail activities as a cover to run full-scale production and bottling lines that did not meet health and safety standards.
The inspections further uncovered a range of violations, including commercial concealment, operating without proper licences, failure to issue tax invoices, breaches of labour regulations, and violations related to the public water network.
Saudi authorities said legal action will be taken against those involved, including the imposition of deterrent penalties.
