Saudi Gazette report

 

RIYADH —  The National Water Company (NWC) has saved more than 433 million cubic meters of water over the past five years – worth some SR2.6 billion – thanks to network repairs made in Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah and Taif.



These savings were made possible by the NWC’s application of world-class technology and high-speed leak detection techniques including, for the first time in the Middle East, radar, audio devices and the use of helium  to monitor leakage.



Water savings in Riyadh during the first nine months of 2014, amounted to more than 38 million cubic meters, with a value of SR228 million, meaning that savings from 2009 until the end of September 2014, amounted to 278 million cubic meters with a value of more than  SR1.6 billion from processing 228,000 leaks.



In Jeddah, savings during the first nine months of 2014 amounted to 12 million cubic meters with a value of SR72 million, bringing the total savings since 2009 until the end of September 2014, to more than 61 million cubic meters with a value of SR366 million, from repairing 81,000 leaks. In Makkah, 20 million cubic meters worth SR120 million was saved in the first nine months of the year, while in Ta’f 5 million cubic meters with a cost of more than SR30 million, bringing the total volume of water savings in Makkah and Ta’if since 2011 (when NWC began operations in these cities) up until September 2014 to 94 million cubic meters or SR564 million from processing approximately 49,000 leak case in the two cities.



In total NWC has addressed 358,000 leakages since assuming responsibility for water management and environment treatment in the four cities, by means of intensifying leak detection programs in line with advanced and certified technical and service standards.  This has contributed significantly to raising operational efficiency and reducing costs, and has improved water demand management relative to global performance standards.