MAKKAH: The National Water Company (NWC) has approved the operational plan for water and sewage services in Makkah for this summer.

The plan aims to provide water to pilgrims and visitors to the Grand Mosque during the scorching season.

A statement from the company said the amount of water pumped to Makkah daily during the summer averaged 543,000 cubic meters, of which 540,000 cubic meters is from the Shuaiba plant, in addition to 3,000 cubic meters drawn from wells of the Wadi Malkan Project earmarked to meet the growing demand for water by Umrah pilgrims.

The statement said the company has been filling all water tanks in Makkah, with a total storage capacity of about 1.4 million cubic meters. This includes the one million cubic meter tank in Moaisem, the new desalination tanks, and 24 other tanks.

NWC's Abdullah Hassanain indicated that the daily production capacity of the filling station in Kudaee will be increased by 50,000 cubic meters; Al-Kaaki by 45,000 cubic meters; 25,000 cubic meters at Moaisem station; and 3,000 cubic meters at the Arafat supply station in addition to deploying more water trucks at filling stations.

He said the operating plan included the preparation and maintenance of operating and maintenance centers of water networks and environmental services. Its eight centers employ 68 teams operating in all districts of the city.

The company provides all requirements of the field teams, including advanced communication systems to ensure the speedy identification and prompt action in cases of breakdowns. They also clean the major and branch supply networks across the city. There are 215 vehicles to deliver their services to all districts, he said.