Use of illegal water suction pumps to invite SR 1,000 fine

The National Water Company (NWC) will fine any consumer found using illegal suction pumps SR 1,000. Water supply to households which are identified as repeat offenders will be cut, Loay Al-Musalam, CEO of NWC, said in a statement.
He said a special team from the company takes daily rounds of Jeddah's neighborhoods to detect suction pumps. Such pumps could also be detected through complaints from affected citizens.
Al-Musalam promised an end to the common sight of sewage spillage in the city.
He said that as part of its current strategy that aims to develop and introduce environmental services in Jeddah, the company has worked out a comprehensive plan for the overhaul of the sewage system that includes building treatment plants, tunnels as well as maintaining main lines and connecting households with the system.
The target is to cover Jeddah with 138,000 household connections by the year 2015. He also said that to solve this chronic problem, the company has developed this plan to be carried out in three phases.
The company began the first phase with the implementation of 60,000 connections to neighborhoods located between Palestine Street in the south and borders of the Royal Hall in the north. He added that it is expected to end placing these projects for biding by mid-2013, where the number of projects that have been put forward already is 11 contracts with a cost of almost SR 590 million to carry over 45,000 connections.
He noted that under the first phase, the company has so far implemented more than 20,000 waste water connections for homes in the neighborhoods of Bawadi, Al-Salamah, Al-Marwa, Al-Safa, Al-Nozha, Al-Rabwah and Al-Faisaliah. He said the company is connecting the completed sewage service connections to homes after the completion of the necessary documents by the citizens.
Al-Musalam said that the company will begin the second phase of household connections in mid-2013 for the neighborhoods of Al-Azizia, Musharafah, Al-Andalusi, Al-Hamrah, as well as parts of the Al Faisaliah, Al-Rawdah, Al-Khalediah, Al-Mohamadiah, Al-Nozha, Al-Shateaa, Al-Nahdah, Al-Zahra, Al-Naem, Al-Samer, Al-Rabeaa, Breiman, Al-Rehab, Bani Malik, Al-Naseeme and the old airport.
This phase includes the implementation of about 78,000 household waste water connections. The final phase, which will begin in 2015, also includes the installation of around 30,000 household connections in the neighborhoods located in the southern part of Jeddah.
These neighborhoods are Al-Rahmah, Al-Karamah, Al-Tadamon,Al-Taawen, Al-Khamrah, Al-Sarawat, Al-Wadi, Al-Sahil, Al-Kawzeen, Al-Molisaa, Al-Massarah, Al-Barakah and Al-Fadilah.
All these are in addition to about 50,000 household connections for the neighborhoods in the Northern District, serving in turn the neighborhoods of North Obhor, Dahaban, Al-Sultan, Al-Hamdaniah, Al-Wafaa, Al-Falah, Al-Majed, Al-Salhiah, Al-Azziziah and Al-Rahmaniah. He said that by that time, the rate of coverage in Jeddah will reach 85 percent.
With the completion of the current projects and the implementation of the first phase, which will end in 2013, the coverage ratio will reach 47 percent, while after the completion of the second phase by 2015 it will reach 70 percent. After the end of the third stage, the coverage ratio will reach 85 percent of populated areas.