Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — Emir of Riyadh Prince Khalid Bin Bandar has inaugurated water support projects in Riyadh costing more than SR1.5 billion. The projects included 46 water stations in 27 locations. Prince Khalid said the rainwater drainage system for Riyadh is still under review, Al-Madinah newspaper reported Monday. During the inauguration, Minister of Water and Electricity Abdullah Al-Hussayyen said an additional 240,000 cubic meters of water a day will be available for Jeddah within a month. This will increase the total water supply for Jeddah to two million cubic meters a day, averaging 350 liters a day per resident. He added that Al-Baha would begin receiving water supplies from Shuaiba water station at the beginning of the summer season. Ras Al-Khair water station will begin operations by the end of the year. It is the largest water station in the Kingdom, with a cost of SR25 billion. Al-Hussayyen also informed that the Saudi Electric Company is constructing power generation stations capable of generating 4,000 megawatts of power annually. Meanwhile, Abdullah Al-Assaf, manager of Jeddah operation unit at the National Water Company (NWC), has said several factors were contributing to the current water shortage in Jeddah. Maintenance works at some water stations, the campaign by the Passports Department against illegal workers and banning of trucks from entering the city during peak traffic hours, have combined to cause the water shortage, the official was quoted by Al-Madinah newspaper as saying. Maintenance work at Shuaiba water plant has largely reduced water supply to Jeddah, he said. Before the maintenance works, Jeddah had excellent water supply. “Now water supply to Jeddah has been reduced by 27 percent,” the official added. This shortage has resulted in overcrowding of water filling stations around Jeddah. In addition, water tankers were banned from entering into Jeddah during peak hours, reducing their availability to only 14 hours a day. However, this ban has been lifted by Prince Mishal Bin Majed, Governor of Jeddah.
