Sunday, 18 March 2007

RIYADH: Water consumption in Saudi Arabia, estimated to be 240 liters per person per day, is one of the highest in the world, prompting a call from a high-level official at the Ministry of Water and Electricity to urge citizens and residents to conserve water.

"I appeal to the people in Saudi Arabia, both citizens and residents alike, to conserve water, as per capita consumption in the Kingdom is one of the highest in the world," said Dr. Ali Saad Al-Tokhasis, Deputy Minister of Water Affairs.

The per capita consumption of water in Europe is between 120 liter and 140 liters, about half the rate of consumption in Saudi Arabia, he said.

He said a large quantity of water is being wasted either through individual consumption  or through leakage in the distribution network.  Some 20 percent of the total water pumped from the country's desalination plants is lost, compared with five percent in some European countries.

The Ministry of Water and Electricity is currently seeking to reduce the rate of leakage from the distribution network to 10 percent. Nevertheless, it is still incumbent upon individuals to monitor their own consumption.

Although the ministry is not planning any special activities for World Water Day on March 22, Al-Tokhasis said a number of articles aimed at increasing public awareness about the significance of water conservation in the Kingdom will be published in the local media.

Designated by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993, World Water Day was established to call attention to the world water crisis, which affects nearly 20 percent of the world's total population, according to reports.

Saudi Arabia is the world's largest producer of desalinated water. The demand for water is increasing daily, however, as a result of a growing population, said Al-Tokhasis.

"People should strictly adhere to the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), who said that people should conserve water even if a person is living by the side of a running river," he said.

This year's World Water Day theme is "Coping with water resources."

"Since we are preoccupied with a number of other issues, the ministry has no plans for , workshops or other public awareness measures to draw attention to water conservation.

However, we urge people on this occasion to heed the call and act cautiously when it comes to the consumption of water," he said.

Water woes

  • The Kingdom is the world's largest producer of desalinated water. The 27 desalination plants provide drinking water to major urban and industrial centers through a network of water pipes running for more than 2,300 miles.

  • It is the fourth largest in average water use per citizen, which is 240 liter/per day per person. The per capita consumption of water in Europe is between 120 liter and 140 liters.

  • Desalination meets over 70 percent of the Kingdom's drinking water requirement.

  • Several new desalination plants are under construction. Once completed, the Kingdom's network of desalination plants will have a capacity of 800 million gallons a day, according to a website of Saudi Arabia Information Resources.

  • The Kingdom is building three more desalination plants at Khobar, Jubail and Shuaiba.

  • Saudi Arabia meets its water requirement from four main sources: surface water, ground water, desalination and reclaimed wastewater.

  • Over 65 percent of the water pumped to a population of around 23 million people in Saudi Arabia is coming from a costly process of desalination, said Dr. Ali Saad Al-Tokhasis, Deputy Minister for Water Affairs in the Ministry of Water and Electricity.

  • The cost of water desalination in the Kingdom depending on various factors is more or less $1 per cubic meter.

  • The Kingdom is producing over five million cubic meter of water for domestic use every day from a number of desalination plants located across the country.

  • The cost of water desalination varies from one plant to another plant depending on size, type of water treatment and their location in the Kingdom, he said without giving exact figures on how much the Kingdom is spending on water desalination.

  • The Kingdom sought the international scientific community's cooperation and coordination through research studies to reduce the high cost of water desalination.

By Shahid Ali Khan

© The Saudi Gazette 2007