Water supply to pilgrims ensured

The National Water Company will ensure nonstop and sufficient supply of water to Makkah and holy sites to cover the needs of pilgrims during the Haj, a statement from the company said. “The Makkah branch of the National Water Co. has approved a plan to supply daily 600,000 cubic meters of water manufactured at old and new Al-Shoibah desalination plants besides maintaining the reserves at Al-Shoibah plants,” said the Saudi Press Agency, quoting a company statement yesterday. “As part of its efforts to guarantee non-stop supply of water to pilgrims during the Haj season, the company has filled all water tanks in the holy sites, which have a total storage capacity of 2 million cubic meters, apart from the daily supply of 600,000 cubic meters,” the statement added. The company’s operation plan includes maintenance and filling of tanks and maintenance of toilets and sewage networks in Mina. It also includes supply of water to the Civil Defense for firefighting and the cooling system in Mina tents. The cleaning and maintenance of water networks including trial runs of the networks to ensure their working condition, which is required because the networks remain unused most of the year except in the Haj season, will also be undertaken as part of the operation plan, the statement said. The special pumping for the Haj begins on Oct. 22. Five operation and maintenance teams in Muzdalifah and 11 teams in Mina will attend round the clock to operate the networks. The company has prepared a booklet supplying telephone numbers of the maintenance team at each location so that Tawafa establishments will not face any difficulty to contact the workers for repairs. The company appealed Tawafa officials not to take water from fire hydrants to wash their tents or for any other purpose because such acts would reduce the reserve water needed on fire accidents.