Lake to be dried up in 30 days JEDDAH/RIYADH – Engineer Adel Faqih, Mayor of Jeddah, has assured citizens that water in the Misk Lake will be brought to a safe level by next week. And subsequently, measures will be taken to dry up the lake completely within a month. Following a tour of the flood-hit districts in Jeddah Wednesday with Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah Region, he said there was a plan to pump one million cubic meters of sewage from the lake every four days. Faqih said that necessary measures have already been taken to protect the city from floods in the future. King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, had approved various projects in that regard, which included drying up of the lake, he said Faqih said that had the water level reached 7 meters, it would have inundated the center of Jeddah. The second project focuses on pumping out the water from the lake to irrigate the Eastern Forest and the adjoining moist land, he said, adding that the project has been implemented successfully. He said the mayoralty has also linked two lines with the treatment plant, which was under construction southeast of the new airport. As for the delay in the construction of the treatment plant, Faqih blamed the company, which had been awarded a contract by the Ministry of Water. However, he said that the plant would be ready by March 2010. Engineer Abdullah Al-Hussayyin, Minister of Water and Electricity and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) said the ministry has set up a plant for treating 30,000 cubic meters of the Misk Lake water. “The plant will have a capacity of 60,000 cubic meters. It has been prepared to receive sewage water tanker trucks and for the treatment of water for the mayoralty's projects particularly the Eastern Forest.” All these measures will help lower the level of the Misk Lake, he said. He confirmed that currently tanker trucks were not allowed to unload their contents in the Misk Lake. He said that water received from the tanker trucks would be treated at the plant in question. The airport sanitary drainage plant in northern Jeddah would soon start operation. It would receive the tanker trucks directly besides receiving some tanker trucks from the Misk Lake so as to expedite the drying up process of the lake. Al-Hussayyin said that the third stage of the Shu'aibah Desalination Plant Project that was carried out by the private sector has been completed. “It will help end the water shortage problem in Jeddah.” He said that the water problem in Taif would also be resolved by the middle of 2010 when the Shu'aibah Desalination Plant would start pumping water to Taif. Al-Hussayyin said that his ministry was carrying out sanitary projects worth SR8 billion in Jeddah. He said that the National Water Company has signed agreements with the mayoralties of cities to re-treat sewage water to serve the industrial sectors and agriculture. He said that all the water and drainage networks were back to normal. Al-Hussayyin said that the program for privatization of desalination plants would be referred for royal approval within the coming few weeks and it would be approved before the end of the next year. After chairing the 104th Board of Directors meeting at the SWCC headquarters in Riyadh, Al-Hussayyin said the privatization program would take its course by going through the Supreme Economic Council and after approval it would be referred to the King. Then it would be reviewed by the Council of Ministers. On approval, a desalination holding company would be established.
