With the bulk of Saudi Arabia’s drinking water coming from desalination plants, the country’s sky-rocketing population growth puts enormous demand on water supply. Arab News reports that a new desalination plant in the Eastern Province is gearing up to go online. When it is producing, it will nearly double the amount of water flowing into the capital, Riyadh.

The article also note that the Ministry of Water & Electricity has started fining businesses and homeowners for not attending to leaks in their pipes. It doesn’t state whether municipalities are to be fined. There are still plentiful ways that Saudis can cut down on waste that will need to be engaged, too. Water is the critical resource and the Saudi race to match supply with demand is a tight and expensive one. Talks about privatizing desalination are underway and should prove interesting. Privatization would assuredly change the way in which water is subsidized.

Ras Al-Khair to double Riyadh’s water supply
RIYADH: ARAB NEWS

Published: Apr 5, 2012 23:39 Updated: Apr 5, 2012 23:39

The new desal plant in Ras Al-Khair will increase drinking water supply to Riyadh next year by 50 percent from 1.6 million to 2.4 million cubic meters per day, Water and Electricity Minister Abdullah Al-Hussayen said here recently.

He said the water and electricity sector has been making an annual growth of 7 percent. Saudi Electricity adds nearly 4,000 megawatt to the Kingdom’s power network every year, he said, adding that about 90% of the network has been linked.

Al-Hussayen said the ministry has started imposing fines on households and other institutions for not preventing water leakage. “We have collected fines amounting to more than SR400,000 in a single year,” he said.

Speaking about privatization of Saline Water Conversion Corporation, he said the Supreme Economic Council has approved the plan. “The matter is now under discussion with the Finance Ministry,” he added.