JEDDAH, 25 September 2004 — The Water and Electricity Ministry is set to launch a nationwide campaign on water conservation on Oct. 2 in a bid to encourage Saudis and expatriates to rationalize its use.
“The decision is in your hand” is the slogan of the national campaign to be launched by Water and Electricity Minister Abdullah Al-Hussayen. The program is designed to become more effective than previous ones.
“The need to conserve water will be presented in a clear and effective manner to encourage the public to adopt a positive decision on the matter,” Al-Hussayen said, adding print and electronic media would be utilized to reach the message to people across the country, including children.
The campaign is significant as the government spends billions of riyals on supplying potable water to citizens and residents. The Kingdom has established 30 desalination plants on the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf coasts at a total cost of SR54 billion and is the world’s largest supplier of desalinated water.
According to Saad Al-Takhais, undersecretary for water at the ministry, water will become one of the major challenges facing the Kingdom in the next 25 years. He hoped that the creation of an independent ministry for water affairs would help resolve the issue in an effective manner.
Al-Hussayen said his ministry was seeking practical solutions to the water problem. It plans to distribute more than 34 million pieces of various water conservation equipment among the public during the campaign period. “These devices will help people conserve water by 30 percent,” he added.
The ministry will also distribute 28.7 million color tablets to detect water leakage from commodes. “Plans are under way to use water saving devices at all government departments,” Al-Hossayen pointed out.
The first phase of the campaign will cover Riyadh, Makkah, Madinah, Eastern Province, Asir, Tabuk, Qasim, Hail, Baha, Jizan, Najran and Al-Jouf regions. The minister called upon all citizens and residents to cooperate with the campaign.
Meanwhile, Fehaid Al-Sharief, governor of the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC), has said desalination would remain a strategic option to meet the country’s potable water requirement. “We have so far spent nearly SR54 billion on desalination projects, which meet 60 percent of water needs in the main cities,” Al-Watan quoted him as saying.
