RIYADH, 16 March 2008 — The Kingdom has called for water conservation measures, both at the corporate and individual levels, as part of a national effort to make judicious use of its natural resources.
This message was delivered yesterday by Loay Musallam, deputy minister of planning at the Ministry of Water and Electricity, on the occasion of a signing ceremony between Arabian Company for Water and Power Projects (ACWA Power Projects) and Tamkeen Development and Management Consulting (Tamkeen) to sponsor the latter's Wafeer Initiative, designed to curb industrial water consumption.
The agreement was signed in the presence of the deputy minister by Mohammad Abunayyan, chairman of ACWA Power Projects, and Dr. Asya Al-Shaikh, President of Tamkeen. It represents ACWA Power Projects' corporate social responsibility with its focus on sponsoring programs and initiatives designed to reduce the consumption of water and electricity.
Lauding the initiative, Musallam hoped that the Wafeer program would inspire other members of the private sector to introduce similar measures in view of the Kingdom's dwindling water resources. In an earlier statement he had said Saudi Arabia might fall behind its target of meeting its water needs by 2025 in view of population growth, scanty rainfall and low water tariffs.
Wafeer was initiated with the backing of the Ministry of Water and Electricity, as part of its water conservation program in the industrial sector. "The increasing demand for water and electricity must be offset by programs for reduction in the consumption of these two vital commodities. Hence, we saw fit to sponsor Wafeer, hoping at the same time to see other, similar initiatives aimed at preserving the resources of our future generations," said Abunayyan after the signing ceremony.
Al-Shaikh thanked ACWA Power Projects for supporting Wafeer and stressed that reduced water consumption was now topping the agendas of industrialists everywhere. It was one of the issues facing them along with the unstable raw material prices, decreased profit margins, compliance with environmental protection laws, as well as fierce international competition. While previously viewed as a mere reaction to drought, water conservation has become part of a sophisticated technology for promoting economically-feasible and environment-friendly solutions, Asya said.
The Wafeer initiative is expected to be up and running in the participating plants within two years, after which this pilot project will yield data applicable across the board. It represents a major drive of the Ministry of Water and Electricity to curb the consumption of household and industrial water. To this end, the ministry has relied on various measures, including incentives, water conservation devices and public awareness campaigns relayed through mass communication channels.
Speaking on the occasion, Abunayyan said ACWA Power Projects was the owner and developer of assets delivering water and power to cater for the rapidly increasing demand fueled by socio-economic growth of the countries.
