Saudi Minister: Water crises in main cities resolved

Minister of Water and Electricity Abdullah Al-Hussayen said on Sunday the problems associated with water shortages were solved over the past three years. Al-Hussayen was speaking to members of the Shoura Council at the 69th regular session of the council held under the chairmanship of Abdullah Al-Asheikh in Riyadh. The minister was briefing members on various issues concerning the supply and consumption of water and power in the Kingdom. The chairman also offered his congratulations to newly appointed Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) Governor Abdul Rahman bin Mohammed Al-Ibrahim, who was also present at the session. ‘During the past three years, we were able to provide an additional supply of 1 million cubic meters of water in Makkah, Jeddah and Taif,’ Al-Hussayen said. The minister noted that some water projects could not be completed on time due to the inefficiency of contracted companies that displayed sub-standard performance. ‘We are trying to reconcile such issues without any disruption of work,’ he added. He said 80 percent of groundwater is currently being used for irrigation and the ministry is trying to reduce its use for such purposes to conserve water for emergency needs. Outlining his ministry’s projects, Al-Hussayen said during the past two years 2,269 contracts were signed, an average of three contracts per working day, at a cost of SR36 billion. The projects included those for water supply, sanitation and wastewater treatment, water treatment and conservation of dams and wells. It also included the laying of 19,000 km of pipelines and 4,200 sanitation projects in different parts of the Kingdom. There are 44 water purification plants in the country. Discussing supply and demand of water throughout the Kingdom, the minister explained that his ministry has been trying to reduce the loss of water due to leaks and consumer negligence from 20 to 5 percent. The ministry has allocated sufficient funds in its annual budget to repair such leaks, he added. To create awareness among consumers, the ministry had distributed 3 million brochures and 5 million toolkits to cut water wastage in homes and businesses. ‘A study is also underway to increase the operational efficiency of air conditioners used in the Kingdom to reduce energy consumption,’ the minister said, hoping that such a shift would reduce energy consumption by 60 percent. He also said professional bodies have been tasked with evaluating the existing 152 dams throughout the country to help conserve water.