NWC plans sanitation network for Jeddah

JEDDAH: Fawaz Bahles, director of the business unit at the Jeddah National Water Company (NWC), said that the company continues to study ways to bring all remaining areas in Jeddah into a sanitation network.
He pointed out that projects in some areas were delayed due to their peculiar location, according to Aleqtesadiah, a sister publication of Arab News.
He expected that up to 10,000 connections to the sanitation network will be completed in a number of areas of Jeddah in the months ahead.
He said that the NCW has been covering many areas of north Jeddah since 2011. He said that Al-Rawdhah, Al-Bawadi, Al-Safa, Al-Marwah, Al-Salamah, Al-Rabwah, Al-Shatti and Al-Zahrah have already been connected to the network. Other areas are still being studied and work is underway on the project. Some projects are waiting for the allocated budget.
Bahles pointed out that recently a strategic water storage facility was inaugurated, which is one of the strategic projects underway in the country to provide water security for the residents of the region. He said that the ministry will start a number of projects in Makkah, Jeddah and Taif, including a strategic storage facility for emergencies in Jeddah.
The complete capacity of the project is around 6 million cubic meters. Out of this, 2 million cubic meters was completed in Buraiman and 1 million cubic meters will be ready in the fourth quarter of this year, also in Buraiman.
Said Al-Umari, director of assets and project services in Makkah and Taif, said that the storage facility of Al-Muaisim in Makkah was 760,000 cubic meters.
There are four storage facilities with 190,000 cubic meters each. Two of them are already operational and another two will start working in another two months.
The storage facility for Haram will be operational in the third quarter of 2016. Of this project, 75 percent is complete.
He said the NWC owns treatment stations in Makkah, Arna and Hada. The company has increased the capacity of the Hada station from 125,000 cubic meters to 250,000 cubic meters.