Haj sites to get 10b liters of water daily

The government-owned National Water Company (NWC) says it will pump 10 million cubic meters (10 billion liters) of water a day into Makkah and the holy sites for this year’s Haj.
This is part of the NWC’s integrated plan for the management of the water sector and protection of the environment during the pilgrimage season this year. It will handle operations with various government agencies.
The NWC, which operates the King Abdullah Zamzam Project, announced the plan in the local press recently.
The NWC draws supply from the General Establishment for Water Desalination. This amounts to more than 560,000 cubic meters a day from Alsaibah desalination plants and 10,000 cubic meters a day from Wadi Malakan project.
The announcement coincides with World Water Week, which was held this week under the theme “Water Cooperation - Building Partnerships.”
For this Haj season, the NWC has conducted mandatory training programs for all members of the administrative, technical, operational and contracted labor force.
To ensure the water is free of any contamination, the company uses advanced technology to sterilize its reservoir sites. In addition, the company has set up modern toilets for pilgrims.
The company said it would continue with the application of its Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) network monitoring and remote-controlled water systems.
This covers 425,000 meters at the holy sites, which includes sewage in Mina of 84,000 meters. The SCADA system is operational 24 hours a day during the pilgrimage season to ensure the best water and environmental services in Makkah and the holy sites.
The NWC said it had prepared a comprehensive plan to meet any water shortages with strategic tanks that hold more than two million cubic meters of water.
Earlier, Saeed bin Misfer Alwadei, project director of the King Abdullah Zamzam Water Project, told the local press:
“All the efforts and operations are in line with the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, to serve Islam and Muslims, and provide adequate and convenient supply for pilgrims.”
The NWC said it focuses on providing drinking water of high quality to all households with water and wastewater connections, preservation of natural water resources, protection of the environment, treatment of sewage effluent, and the development and training of Saudi employees according to the latest international standards.