Northern Borders Governor opens 15 projects worth SAR 2 bln

Project inauguration ceremony 

Prince Faisal bin Khaled bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Governor of the Northern Borders Region, inaugurated today 15 development projects for the environment, water and agriculture system in the region, at a cost of nearly SAR 2 billion, which will serve more than 79,000 new beneficiaries, according to Saudi Press Agency.

The inauguration was in the presence of the Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli, who said that the new projects include the implementation of 13 projects by the National Water Company, including supporting the strategic storage system in the city of Arar.

The company also implemented two projects to boost the coverage of water services and deliver them to the beneficiaries through the establishment of operational water tanks with a total capacity of 6,000 cubic meters, the extension of more than 105 linear kilometers of carrier and main lines and sub-networks, and the implementation of more than 2,200 domestic water connections to serve more than 21,700 new beneficiaries in Al-Dahiya, Al-Mubarakiya, Al-Jawhara and Al-Rawabi districts in the city of Arar, at a cost of more than SAR 38 million, the minister added.

He also stressed that the company has implemented two projects to deliver drinking water to the beneficiaries in Al-Wurud and Al-Faisaliah districts in Turaif, in addition to the construction of 11 operational tanks and four filling stations in the city of Turaif, at a cost of nearly SAR 24 million.

Moreover, NWC has implemented a system to transport the regenerated water to the city of Waad Al-Shamal in four phases, which included the establishment of a treated water purification plant and transmission lines, and the construction of eight pumping stations, at a total cost of more than SAR 1.72 billion.

Furthermore, NWC implemented four projects in the Northern Borders region to support environmental sustainability and reduce environmental damage, including a biological treatment system for a sewage pumping station in Rafha Governorate, and three projects to increase coverage of environmental services in the governorates of Turaif and Rafha, in addition to three lifting stations, and 5,193 home sewage connections, to serve 51,203 new beneficiaries in 13 districts, at a total cost of more than SAR 149.6 million, Al-Fadhli stated.

The ministry has implemented two projects: The first included drilling and operating eight productive groundwater wells from the Rifaa wells field, with a production capacity of more than 28,000 cubic meters per day, and at a financial cost of more than SAR 32 million. Meanwhile, the other project was implemented to increase vegetation cover in the Northern Borders region, with than 150,000 trees planted, at a cost of SAR 4.9 million.