RIYADH, 15 September 2006 — The Ministry of Water and Electricity has won an international award from the United Nations Development Program and the Arab Water Security and Water Study Center in Cairo for its water conservation program, according to Loay Al-Musallam, deputy minister of planning and development at the ministry.
He also said the first international workshop for women on the subject of conserving water in the family will be held here on Sept. 20 under the patronage of Princess Adila bint Abdullah.
The ministry will educate the participants on the water conservation drive in the light of its experience.
Delegates from the Kingdom, Gulf and Arab countries as well as those from the West will present papers highlighting their experience in water conservation. An exhibition for women will be held on the sidelines of the event.
Referring to the nationwide water conservation drive recently announced by the ministry, the deputy minister said 12 distribution centers would be set up in the ministry’s branches all over the Kingdom for the sale of water conservation kits at an affordable price. They will also be available at SACO Hardware showrooms in the Kingdom.
The ministry will procure five million water showers of a special type that will help rationalize the use of water in the house, he said.
Al-Musallam pointed out that the ministry would rely on the people for the success of its campaign.
“Based on our experience during the previous three campaigns, we expect continued good response this time as well,” he said.
A three-phased water conservation campaign was kicked off recently. The first campaign saw the distribution of five million water conservation kits among households, government departments and private companies to promote the prudent use of water.
During the second phase, which focused on public infrastructure facilities and government buildings, the ministry distributed 1.3 million conservation kits.
This phase resulted in saving 25 to 50 percent of water use. The third phase concentrated on the private sector that consumes 20 percent of water. More than 900,000 conservation kits were provided among private firms during this period. This measure helped save about 40 percent of wasted water in hotels and other service facilities.
These kits can help conserve as much as half of the water used while bathing, which is a major factor in water use at home. The water-conservation campaign will also target the private sector, which accounts for 20 percent of national water consumption.
According to a study conducted by the ministry, one million cubic meters of water is wasted in the Kingdom every day. Water showers account for 16 percent of water used in the household.
