RIYADH, 27 October — Minister of Water Dr. Ghazi Al-Gosaibi announced yesterday that his ministry was about to complete a national water plan setting out his ministry’s priorities and giving a clear idea of the country’s water situation.
Speaking to reporters after opening a British seminar on “investment and technology in the water sector,” he said the sector required investments to train national cadre and acquire modern technology.
In his first meeting with the media after taking over as water minister, Gosaibi said he will meet with officials of the Japanese Sumitomo company, which has been licensed to invest in a $2.2 billion water desalination project in Jubail.
Addressing the seminar’s inaugural session, British Ambassador to the Kingdom Derek Plumbly highlighted the existing cooperation between the two countries.
Plumbly referred to the Kingdom’s growing water requirement as a result the fast growth of population, and said that it will pose a challenge to the ministry.
Khaled Al-Bawaridy, director of the water and sewage department in the Riyadh region, commended Britain’s expertise in the field of water technology.
The participants of the seminar are scheduled to review a number of topics including the private sector’s role that in implementing water projects, management of water and energy projects and the application of new methods in treating sewage water.
The British Embassy said the seminar will be repeated tomorrow at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
