Prince Faisal Bin Khaled, Emir of Asir region, has given orders to refer a contractor to the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution (BIP) because he allegedly damaged a pipeline distributing water to Khamis Mushayt, Ahad Rufaidah and some parts of Abha. The contractor had allegedly created the crisis when he violated excavation regulations and had not heeded several warnings from water officials. Prince Faisal called in experts from the Eastern Province to solve the problem and pump water to over two million citizens and expatriates. A team consisting of members from the relevant authorities was formed on the Emir's orders. The maintenance teams of Asir General Directorate of Water in conjunction with the Saline Water Conversion Corporation started working on fixing the problem Thursday morning. The eight-meter-deep broken water pipeline was found and replaced with a new one. Another contractor broke another pipeline causing disruption of water flow to Khamis Mushayt, Ahad Rufaidah and some parts of Abha. This pipeline was also fixed and replaced with a new one. Water started pumping again. During the repairs, Asir General Directorate of Water designed a plan to continue the pumping of water. The directorate decided to have Abha and other water stations operate around-the-clock to supply government departments and shelter centers. The Al-Asan water station pumped water to vital sectors, hospitals and shelter centers in Khamis Mushayt, Ahad Rufaidah and other governorates. Yazeed Al-Ayedh, Director of Asir General Directorate of Water, thanked the Emir of Asir for solving the problem quickly. __
