In a bid to end the recurring water shortage in Jeddah, the National Water Company (NWC) has launched a SR2.2 billion strategic reserve project to store 6 million cubic meters of water in the city.

The first phase of the SR540 million project in Jeddah with the aim of storing 1.5 million cubic meters of water will have eight concrete tanks each with a capacity of 188,000 cubic meters.

The company hopes to complete 65 percent of the work with the commissioning of four tanks with the capacity to store about 1 million cubic meters of water by the year end.

The first phase will be completed by the middle of 2015. Efforts are also being made to construct three additional tanks of half a million cubic meters of water at the cost SR202 million enhancing the total storage capacity in the first phase to 2 million cubic meters.

As the first phase nears completion, contracts have been awarded for the second and third phases. The second phase with the capacity of 1 million cubic meters at the cost of SR374 million will be in Briman, while the third phase of SR450 million will be constructed in Al-Faisaliah.

A number of supply lines for the project have been laid in Al-Faisaliah district at a cost of SR109 million while the lines in Briman have been completed at the cost of SR93 million.

“The challenges facing the water sector in Jeddah demand sustained solutions with the help of modern technology and advanced construction methods to enable pre-emptive tactics to counter the issues such as the pressure of rapid population growth on the demand for water,” the statement said.