Water needs of holy city taken care of

The National Water Company (NWC) is prepared to meet the demand for water at the holy sites, including Makkah, for this year’s Haj season, said Louay Al-Muslim, the company’s
CEO.
Speaking to Arab News, he said over 10 million cubic meters of water will be pumped into Makkah and other holy sites during the period.
The company’s strategy is to secure more than 200,000 cubic meters of water per day from the General Establishment for Water Desalination through the desalination plants of Al-Shuaiba.
Al-Muslim said the company would secure an additional 10,000 cubic meters of water per day from the water project in Wadi Malakan as a precautionary measure, which has been allocated to supply water to toilets in the Grand Mosque.
Additionally, all the four filling stations in Al-Ashiab would be filled to their full capacity to ensure continuous supply of water.
The company has also chalked out an integrated plan to address any water crisis that might arise.
The plan entails using the strategic water reservoir, which has a capacity of more than two million cubic meters, as well as preparing reserve tanks with taps for distribution in different areas across the holy sites.
Al-Muslim said that the company had implemented a comprehensive information technology system entitled “Compass,” which aims to manage operations at the holy sites.
Extensive monitoring equipment have also been installed to monitor water pressure and water levels in the reservoirs and to manage the distribution network through an IT system called “Escada.”
Systems will be integrated within the operational plan during the pilgrimage season, Al-Muslim said, adding that this was being done as per the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and the crown prince and the second deputy premier.