JEDDAH, 15 April 2003 — Minister of Water Dr. Ghazi Al-Gosaibi yesterday signed four contracts worth SR718 million ($191.5 million) for the construction of four dams in the south and west of the Kingdom.
The four dams, to be located at Beesh in the Jizan region and at Hulay, Rabigh and Laith in the Makkah region, will have a total capacity of 753 million cubic meters (26.5 billion cubic feet).
The largest of the four dams is the SR226 million structure in Hulay near Makkah, which will have a capacity of 250 million cubic meters of water.
The Hulay dam will be able to supply 9,000 cubic meters of water per second. “Water will be collected in an area of 4,843 square kilometers,” the minister added.
He said the Beesh dam, with a capacity of 194 million cubic meters, would cost SR198.5 million. The SR124.3 million dam in Laith will have a capacity to hold 88.75 million cubic meters.
Al-Gosaibi described the new dam in Rabigh as one of the largest in the Kingdom, with a capacity to hold 220.35 million cubic meters of water at a height of 80 meters. It will be constructed at a cost of SR169 million.
All the contracts were awarded to Saudi companies, but Al-Gosaibi said the ministry was developing a national water plan to encourage foreign investment in the Kingdom’s water projects, including its desalination plants.
The Kingdom has scarce fresh water resources but is the world’s largest producer of desalinated water, contributing 30 percent of global output.
Saudi Arabia produced more than 857.4 million cubic meters of desalinated water in 2001, a 60 percent increase over the previous year.
The Kingdom’s 30 desalination plants pump more than 600 million gallons (2.27 billion liters) of water daily through nearly 2,000 miles (3,200 km) of pipeline, meeting 70 percent of the Kingdom’s needs for drinking water. The rest comes from underground water.
The Saline Water Conversion Corporation plans 20 more such plants with the participation of the private sector. Experts say massive investment is needed if the Saudi water sector is to match demand, expected to increase rapidly over the next 20 years.
Water is heavily subsidized in the Kingdom, where a cubic meter of water costs about $1.30 to produce and is sold for about four US cents.
Al-Gosaibi said the proposed water tariff to be introduced by the Kingdom was “the last resort. But people should understand the reality. Our water situation is critical.”
“The intention of the tariff is not to impose any new burden on citizens but to collect the money required for this vital sector,” he said. “We will not be able to solve the water problem within a day or two,” he added.
Al-Gosaibi also pointed out that hasty solutions for water and sewage problems would only complicate them.
He said the ministry would continue to build new dams at suitable locations. “We know it cannot solve the water problem but will help utilize rain water,” he added.
“We have also a plan to establish smaller dams once the necessary technical studies have been carried out,” he said.
The new national water plan will be ready within a year and a half. “Before that we’ll make an assessment of water resources in the country,” he added.
