Officials have admitted that the quantities of precious water being wasted as a result of the deteriorating mains cost the Kingdom SR1.8 billion annually. That translates to SR150 million worth of water being lost every month without ever reaching people’s homes.
To this can be added the quantities of water squandered every day as a result of plain misuse as well as faulty pipes and faucets. The problem is not confined to only one group but is common among those who are living in a world of convenience and comfort and those who aren’t. All of them take water for granted and expect to turn a faucet and have as much water as they like for as long as they like. They fail to realize that a faucet dripping 160 drops per minute will lose more than six gallons of water per day.
Saudi Arabia, a country with no rivers or high rainfall or large reserves of underground water, ranks among the world’s most wasteful water consumers. According to people in the water department, up to one-third of the water produced in the Kingdom is wasted before reaching homes or other users.
The problem is not a new one; water has been leaking out of pipes for years because the network of pipes and mains has not been maintained or renewed in most of our cities and towns. The money allocated for water projects is usually spent on new networks in order to meet the needs of an increasing population. Had the old pipes been properly and regularly maintained, we would not now be wasting so much water and our cities would not be experiencing serious water shortages.
The Water Ministry has launched a major conservation campaign aimed at convincing people to be more aware and careful with the water they use. What we need is to launch a major maintenance project to repair every broken and leaking pipe and replace the damaged ones. The two projects should go hand in hand if we want to see an improvement in the water situation. Statistics have shown that the average individual’s consumption of water in the Kingdom is double that in other countries which have abundant water resources. While other people consume from between 100 and 200 liters of water per day, our individual consumption is from 300 to 400 liters daily. What a difference!
