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Saudi Arabia Builds Largest Strategic Water Reservoir in Mecca | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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A worker stands at a desalination plant, 35 Im south of Riyadh, May 4, 2011. (Reuters)


Riyadh – Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli, Saudi minister of environment, Water and Agriculture and chairman of the Saline Water Conversion Corp (SWCC) board of directors, signed a deal to construct strategic dams in al-Sharaee in Mecca and al-Hada in al-Taif.

The project aims to build 17 dams, each with a 170,000-cubic meter capacity. The total reserve of those dams will reach 2.9 million cubic meters of desalinated water. The agreement was signed on Thursday in the attendance of Engineer Ali Al Hazmy, SWCC’s governor, and many officials.

Fadhli thanked the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz for his efforts in enhancing the role of SWCC by signing this contract, which will contribute in raising the reserve of desalinated water in Mecca and the holy sites that host millions of pilgrims all year long.

The minister said this project will serve the holy regions by increasing the strategic reserve in Mecca, the holy sites and Taif, due to their importance in the Islamic world. The government dedicated all of its efforts and was keen to secure the pilgrims’ comfort in line with the Saudi Vision 2030 regarding the sustainability of water services in this region.

Hazmy highlighted that this project is considered the biggest strategic reservoir in Mecca and that it will serve the city and the holy sites.

He added that the project also includes nine strategic dams in al-Hada in Taif, each with a 170,000-cubic meter capacity and a total reserve of 1.53 million cubic meters of desalinated water. This reserve is considered the largest in the Taif region and will meet the needs of its surrounding areas.