Arab News, Saturday, Jul 17, 2021 | Zul Hijjah 7, 1442
Saudi water company signs $800m of contracts to expand services to 6 million people
Saudi Arabia:
The Saudi National Water Company (NWC) has signed SR3
billion ($800 million) of agreements with contractors to supply water and sewage
services to 6 million people.
The 91 agreements with 44 contractors will lead to the building of 276,000 water
connections and 229,000 sewage connections, NWC said in a statement.
The project will provide a boost to the national economy as there is a
requirement that more than 50 percent of the inputs for its water and sewage
connections and service lines must be locally produced.
The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA) has launched the
latest phase of its restructuring of regional water facilities under the NWC
umbrella, as part of the Kingdom’s wider privatization strategy.
Last Sunday, Abdul Rahman Al-Fadli, minister of environment, water and
agriculture, launched the integration of the Western Cluster, around the Makkah
region, and the Southern Cluster, consisting of the Asir, Jazan, Najran, and
Al-Baha regions.
The two clusters will be restructured under the NWC parent entity and are part
of plans for all 13 regions in the Kingdom to be integrated into six clusters,
which will then operate under centralized management.
This latest step comes after the NWC succeeded in integrating the regions in the
north into the Northwestern Cluster in November, without any disruption to
service. The long-term aim is to have the water distribution sector fully
integrated by the end of the year.