JEDDAH — The National Water Company (NWC ) is building a Strategic Storage System worth over SR2 billion to achieve water security in Makkah area (Makkah, Jeddah and Taif). It will have a total storage capacity of more than 5.4 billion cubic meters, according to Abdullah Al-Husseyin, minster of Water and Electricity and chairman of the NWC. Prince Khaled Al Faisal, Emir of Makkah and advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, will launch the NWC projects in Jeddah on Sunday. The event is expected to be attended by a large number of government executives, businessmen and media representatives. Al-Husseyin explained that construction of the first Strategic Storage System started Jeddah in three stages with a total storage capacity of more than 4 billion cubic meters, worth SAR1.5 billion. The first stage has been completed and pressed into service with a total storage capacity of more than 2 billion cubic meters, and NWC is working on completing stage-2 and stage-3 with a total storage capacity of 2 billion cubic meters. He added that NWC has started increasing the capacity of Strategic Storage System in Makkah; the execution of stage-1 has started, with a total storage capacity of 1.320 million cubic meters, worth SR430 million; and the partial operation shall be in a capacity of 380,000 cubic meters. He stated that the capacity shall be increased to more than 3 million cubic meters in the future. About Taif, the minister announced that 8 operational tanks have been constructed with a storage capacity of 175,000 cubic meters, worth more than SR219 million, for increasing the operational efficiency of water sector and serving Qarwa, Al-Halaqah, Al-Shohada, and Shahar suburbs. On the other hand, the minister said that NWC has constructed, developed and qualified 9 wastewater treatment plants in the 3 cities for increasing their capacity from 540,000 cubic meters to about 1.5 billion cubic meters daily; and increasing their efficiency by using triple treatment method. The building of environment services system in southern Jeddah has been completed by constructing and operating Al-Khomrah-4 plant with the capacity of 250,000 cubic meters daily, requalifying Al-Khomrah-3 plant with the capacity of 140,000 cubic meters daily and Al-Khomrah Al-Senaiyah plant with the capacity of 50,000 cubic meters daily. Thus the total treatment capacity in Jeddah has reached 1.050 million cubic meters daily. In addition, two of the largest systems of main pipeline tunnels and levitation plants has been completed and pressed into service. All the above has raised the efficiency and operation capacity of tunnels and levitation plants to one million cubic meters daily in southern levitation plant and one million cubic meters daily in northern levitation plant.
