Naif Masrahi & Abdul Aziz Ghazzawi JEDDAH: Jeddah houses' sanitary drainage networks will be connected next year to the main sewage sanitary tunnels, said Loay Al-Musallem, CEO of the National Water Company(NWC). Al-Musallem warned residents against connecting their houses to sanitary networks in streets and roads, which he said is a flagrant violation and causes overflows of waste water on thoroughfares. He addressed a number of issues at a workshop focusing on an agreement that has been signed to sell treated water. He said a committee will evaluate the drying process of Misk Lake, where all the sewage in Jeddah is dumped. Environmentalists have expressed concerns about using pipelines to carry the sewage in Misk Lake into the sea, but Al-Musallem stressed that not a single drop of the sewage has been pumped into the sea. He urged those who have evidence to come forward to prove this allegation. He said such a large company like the NWC must be determined to work with the world's best environment consultants in the field of sewage water treatment. He said these experts have made plans to dry up the sewage lake by using two pipelines. One pipeline will carry sewage water to the treatment plant at King Abdul Aziz Airport and the other will carry treated water to the Eastern Forest of Jeddah Mayoralty. He pointed out that treated water is used to irrigate trees, shrubs and plants. This line pumps about 30,000 cubic meters of water, he added. There are plans to create a strategic water reserve in Jeddah through construction of four underground reservoirs there, at a total cost of SR6 billion, he said. One SR1.5 billion reservoir, with a capacity of 1.5 million cubic meters, is being tendered for public bid, he added. The project, which is expected to take 18 months to complete, will supply Jeddah with water if there is a shortage in production of desalinated water, Al-Musallem said. He said a strategic reserve in Riyadh is being established within the Ras Tannourah Desalination Plant and added that a number of projects, including operational and strategic tanks, costing SR5 billion have been tendered. He said the work on those projects will start this year and finish in two years. There is a plan to convert existing water treatment plants into five companies that will be established in five cities, said Al-Musallem. Last year, the NWC signed an agreement with the Economic Knowledge City to supply it with water, he added.
