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Water supply in Makkah to double by next Haj Official
Filed under NewsDec 16JEDDAH: The head of Makkah’s Water Department said yesterday that by next Haj season the holy city would be able to provide at least 60 percent more water than it currently supplies. “The amount will exceed the 500,000 cubic meter mark or may nearly double the current level,” said Abdullah Hasanin.
The city currently has a supply capacity of 300,000 cubic meters per day. Thanks to Shuaiba-3, the new desalination plant set to open before next Haj season, Makkah will be receiving more desalinated water from the Red Sea.
Hasanin’s comment comes after reports of citizens complaining about the rise in water prices during Haj. A water truck (18 cubic meters of water) typically charges SR140 for the typical delivery, but Makkah residents paid SR400 per truck between Nov. 29 and Dec. 13 (the first 15 days of Dul Hijjah). The Makkah provincial government sets both of these prices: one for typical situations and another for peak demand during Ramadan and Haj.
Water deliveries from the black market rose to nearly SR1,000, or about twice the normal black market price.
Water truck drivers pay SR54 (SR3 for every cubic meter) to fill up their trucks and charge the difference as profit. The price of the water typically varies on the distance and the difficulty in delivering.
Some Makkah residents upset by the high prices set by the province’s Water Department have said it is unfair to force them to pay such a large amount for an essential commodity.
“The price of water is outrageous during Haj,” said Khaled Al-Harbi, a resident of Makkah’s Al-Zaher district. “It’s cheaper to buy gold.”
Part of the reason for the increase in prices is the added time it takes to make deliveries during the high-traffic periods of Haj and Ramadan, Hasanin said.
Exacerbating this perennial problem is the current rise in consumer prices in the Kingdom. Moreover, the recent expansion projects around the Grand Mosque have temporarily forced pilgrims to take shelter outside of the central area. This relocation has put a strain on local water distribution centers in different districts of the city.
“Last year water centers distributed 70,000 cubic meters, this year it jumped to 95,000 cubic meters,” he said. “The guests of God take first priority in the city’s water distribution.”
Makkah resident Ahmed Al-Subiani pointed out that some areas of Makkah have worse water problems than others. “Some areas get tap water and others don’t. It’s not fair,” he said angrily.
For his part, Hasanin claims that the longest amount of time an area remains without water is 26 days. He was referring to the municipal water lines, which can go for days or even weeks without water. It is during these dry spells that residents must obtain water truck deliveries.
The Kingdom’s Shoura Council has set up a website and a fax number for residents to field their water-related complaints: webmaster@shura.gov.sa, 01-488-4071.
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