Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06JEDDAH269
2006-04-05 13:37:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Consulate Jeddah
how-toVZCZCXYZ0007 RR RUEHWEB DE RUEHJI #0269/01 0951337 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 051337Z APR 06 FM AMCONSUL JEDDAH TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9010 INFO RUEHEPA/HQ EPA WASHDC RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 6361 RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 0225
UNCLAS JEDDAH 000269
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
INTERIOR FOR International/Senhadji
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV SA
SUBJECT: Jeddah's "Perfume" Lake of Sewage
UNCLAS JEDDAH 000269
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
INTERIOR FOR International/Senhadji
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV SA
SUBJECT: Jeddah's "Perfume" Lake of Sewage
1) Summary: Municipal and Governorate officials say that
inadequate sewage treatment is Jeddah's major environment
problem. The Mecca Governorate Water Ministry has
integrated water management into one ministry and has begun
major capital projects to expand the sewage network and
wastewater treatment plants, but treatment of 85% of the
sewage is at least six years away. Solid waste management,
especially of old tires, is another concern. End summary.
-------------- --------------
Governorate Now Has Agency to Handle Supply and Sewage
-------------- --------------
2) Director General Mohammed Bughdadi of the Mecca
Governorate Water Ministry told us on March 18 that water
management functions including water supply and sewage
treatment had previously been spread out among several
ministries but that those functions had been amalgamated
into the Ministry of Water and Electricity two and a half
years previously. The Ministry serves 5.4 million in the
Mecca Governorate, 88% of whom live in the three major
cities of Mecca, Jeddah and Taif. The population is growing
at about 2.4% per year, he said.
-------------- --------------
Sewage Network and Treatment Plants Cover 30% of Population
-------------- --------------
3) Jeddah Deputy Mayor for Services Khaled Akeel said that
only a small portion of Jeddah has a sewage network and
treatment plants. Even new areas of the city, surprisingly,
have no sewage system. Large contracts have been let, and
construction has started but they will take 4-5 years to
complete.
4. Water Ministry DG Bughdadi said in a separate meeting
that his governorate-level "ministry" has a "big problem"
with wastewater collection. He said that only 15% of the
area of Jeddah municipality, representing 30% of the
population, has a sewage collection system. The rest of the
people have cesspools or cesspits, he said.
5. Of the roughly one million cubic meters (1 MCM) of
wastewater that enters the distribution system each day,
only about 20% gets any kind of wastewater treatment. The
governorate used to put 100,000 cubic meters of sewage per
day in the Red Sea but that practice was stopped a year and
a half ago, Bughdadi said.
--------------
The "Perfume Lake"
--------------
6. Jeddah's stopgap measure, taken in part to prevent
dumping raw sewage in the Red Sea, has been to collect
30,000 cubic meters (almost 8 million gallons) per day of
raw sewage in tankers and truck it to the "Perfume Lake"
outside the city. This means at least 2,500 trucks per day
making the trip. Since people have to pay private
contractors at least $20 per tanker for this service, the
situation is "ripe" for illegal abuses, such as dumping
sewage into the storm system that drains into the Red Sea.
The possible bursting of the Perfume Lake's earth dam is a
major concern as well.
7. Jeddah does have two sewage treatment plants, near Old
Jeddah, whose treated wastewater flows into two lagoons.
Sometimes there are problems, said Akeel, and untreated
water flows into the lagoons.
8. The city is in charge of the Perfume Lake, said Akeel,
and plans to begin some basic treatment of the sewage, such
as aeration and bacterial treatment, in 1-2 months. The
city will continue to use the Perfume Lake until upgrades to
the sewage system become operational.
-------------- --------------
Wastewater Treatment Inadequacies Being Addressed
-------------- --------------
9. DG Bughdadi said that the Mecca Governorate can treat
about 240,000 cubic meters (CM) of sewage per day in one
large (100,000 CM/day) and several medium sized (10,000-
15,000 CM/day) wastewater treatment plants in Jeddah. The
existing plants are being upgraded from secondary treatment
to tertiary treatment, and a new plant with daily capacity
of 250,000 CM is being built. All those upgrades should be
done within two and a half years.
10. The ministry started construction a year ago on a new
treatment plant near the airport with daily capacity of
250,000 cubic meters. Another 250,000 cubic meters of
capacity will be added later, said Bughdadi, ultimately
giving his Ministry capacity to treat 1.1 million cubic
meters of sewage per day.
11. The biggest problem, DG Bughdadi said, is the lack of a
network to collect sewage. The national government has
allocated $1.9 billion (SR 7 billion) in several tranches to
expand the sewage system, and construction is underway.
Bughdadi hopes to have 85-90% coverage and treatment but
says it will take at least 6-7 years to reach that goal.
The open trenches being dug for sewer pipes are going to be
an ongoing problem for years, he said, creating not only a
nuisance but a health problem since the stagnant water in
those trenches will be a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
--------------
Fresh Water Supply from Desalination Plants
--------------
12. Bughdadi's Ministry is also responsible for
distribution of fresh water, which they receive free from
the Government-owned "Saline Water Conversion Corporation's"
desalination plants. Consumers pay essentially "zero," said
Bughdadi, for their water, unless they buy it from tankers.
13. Desalinated water represents 97% of the fresh water
supply, Bughdadi said. Three large "desal" plants in Jeddah
produce about one million cubic meters (about 260 million
gallons) of fresh water per day, of which about two-thirds
goes to the roughly three million people in Jeddah, with the
remainder going outside the municipality. He said that it
"all" goes for domestic use but did not indicate what amount
is used for landscaping. KSA's first private desal plant
has been contracted and should be on-line in 2009 or 2010,
he said, and will produce 800,000 cubic meters per day. All
the plants use "Multistage Flash" (MSF) technology and
cogenerate electricity (hence the Ministry of Electricity
and Water.)
-------------- --------------
Working on Demand Management, Reducing Losses in System
-------------- --------------
14. Bughdadi says he has a "major problem" with leakage in
the fresh water distribution system. He estimates, on
admittedly scanty data, that 30-35% of the water that enters
the system gets lost en route, creating both environmental
and economic problems. The system was "slow" to address
these issues, he said.
15. The Kingdom is halfway through a demand management
program that Bughdadi said had been a "phenomenal success"
and showed "clear results." He cited a New York program as
the model for the program, which distributes water
conservation kits and information to consumers. He frankly
admitted that the lack of water conservation was "a cultural
problem." He is anxious to reduce water use, though, in
order to reduce the need for wastewater treatment
infrastructure.
--------------
Plan to Privatize Water Sector
--------------
16. The Ministry plans to develop a tariff system but this
will be a long-term project that enters the political area,
Bughdadi said. The Ministry is working with the Shura
Council (Note: This is the appointive consultative body
that analyzes and debate important policy issues and advises
the King. End note.),the World Bank and private
consultants Booz Allen Hamilton on this project.
This issue will also be intimately linked to the planned
privatization of the water system. Bughdadi complained that
the current organization chart for water looks like "an
octopus," and he wants to see the sector managed on a clean,
commercial basis.
--------------
Other Environmental Issues
--------------
17. Deputy Mayor Akeel also noted concern on solid waste
issues, particularly managing old tires. Tires are a
problem because the water they trap is a breeding ground for
Jeddah's squadrons of mosquitoes. He was also interested in
developing recycling programs for cooking oil and engine
oil. Comment: These ideas appeared to be at the conceptual
stage. End comment.
18. Akeel said that Jeddah municipality is in the process
of "considering" a contract for an environmental monitoring
center that would track the status of air and water
pollution in real time from a sensor network around the
city. He said that the contract might be let in six months.
--------------
Better Late Than Never
--------------
19. Akeel said that Saudi Arabia was "late" in developing
an environmental consciousness. Bughdadi echoed the
sentiment separately, saying that the government was "slow"
to address sewage and water issues. Akeel said that Saudis
are focusing "more and more" on the environment and now
consider it to be "very important." An indication of this
is the money being spent by the KSA on infrastructure.
GFOELLER
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
INTERIOR FOR International/Senhadji
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV SA
SUBJECT: Jeddah's "Perfume" Lake of Sewage
1) Summary: Municipal and Governorate officials say that
inadequate sewage treatment is Jeddah's major environment
problem. The Mecca Governorate Water Ministry has
integrated water management into one ministry and has begun
major capital projects to expand the sewage network and
wastewater treatment plants, but treatment of 85% of the
sewage is at least six years away. Solid waste management,
especially of old tires, is another concern. End summary.
-------------- --------------
Governorate Now Has Agency to Handle Supply and Sewage
-------------- --------------
2) Director General Mohammed Bughdadi of the Mecca
Governorate Water Ministry told us on March 18 that water
management functions including water supply and sewage
treatment had previously been spread out among several
ministries but that those functions had been amalgamated
into the Ministry of Water and Electricity two and a half
years previously. The Ministry serves 5.4 million in the
Mecca Governorate, 88% of whom live in the three major
cities of Mecca, Jeddah and Taif. The population is growing
at about 2.4% per year, he said.
-------------- --------------
Sewage Network and Treatment Plants Cover 30% of Population
-------------- --------------
3) Jeddah Deputy Mayor for Services Khaled Akeel said that
only a small portion of Jeddah has a sewage network and
treatment plants. Even new areas of the city, surprisingly,
have no sewage system. Large contracts have been let, and
construction has started but they will take 4-5 years to
complete.
4. Water Ministry DG Bughdadi said in a separate meeting
that his governorate-level "ministry" has a "big problem"
with wastewater collection. He said that only 15% of the
area of Jeddah municipality, representing 30% of the
population, has a sewage collection system. The rest of the
people have cesspools or cesspits, he said.
5. Of the roughly one million cubic meters (1 MCM) of
wastewater that enters the distribution system each day,
only about 20% gets any kind of wastewater treatment. The
governorate used to put 100,000 cubic meters of sewage per
day in the Red Sea but that practice was stopped a year and
a half ago, Bughdadi said.
--------------
The "Perfume Lake"
--------------
6. Jeddah's stopgap measure, taken in part to prevent
dumping raw sewage in the Red Sea, has been to collect
30,000 cubic meters (almost 8 million gallons) per day of
raw sewage in tankers and truck it to the "Perfume Lake"
outside the city. This means at least 2,500 trucks per day
making the trip. Since people have to pay private
contractors at least $20 per tanker for this service, the
situation is "ripe" for illegal abuses, such as dumping
sewage into the storm system that drains into the Red Sea.
The possible bursting of the Perfume Lake's earth dam is a
major concern as well.
7. Jeddah does have two sewage treatment plants, near Old
Jeddah, whose treated wastewater flows into two lagoons.
Sometimes there are problems, said Akeel, and untreated
water flows into the lagoons.
8. The city is in charge of the Perfume Lake, said Akeel,
and plans to begin some basic treatment of the sewage, such
as aeration and bacterial treatment, in 1-2 months. The
city will continue to use the Perfume Lake until upgrades to
the sewage system become operational.
-------------- --------------
Wastewater Treatment Inadequacies Being Addressed
-------------- --------------
9. DG Bughdadi said that the Mecca Governorate can treat
about 240,000 cubic meters (CM) of sewage per day in one
large (100,000 CM/day) and several medium sized (10,000-
15,000 CM/day) wastewater treatment plants in Jeddah. The
existing plants are being upgraded from secondary treatment
to tertiary treatment, and a new plant with daily capacity
of 250,000 CM is being built. All those upgrades should be
done within two and a half years.
10. The ministry started construction a year ago on a new
treatment plant near the airport with daily capacity of
250,000 cubic meters. Another 250,000 cubic meters of
capacity will be added later, said Bughdadi, ultimately
giving his Ministry capacity to treat 1.1 million cubic
meters of sewage per day.
11. The biggest problem, DG Bughdadi said, is the lack of a
network to collect sewage. The national government has
allocated $1.9 billion (SR 7 billion) in several tranches to
expand the sewage system, and construction is underway.
Bughdadi hopes to have 85-90% coverage and treatment but
says it will take at least 6-7 years to reach that goal.
The open trenches being dug for sewer pipes are going to be
an ongoing problem for years, he said, creating not only a
nuisance but a health problem since the stagnant water in
those trenches will be a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
--------------
Fresh Water Supply from Desalination Plants
--------------
12. Bughdadi's Ministry is also responsible for
distribution of fresh water, which they receive free from
the Government-owned "Saline Water Conversion Corporation's"
desalination plants. Consumers pay essentially "zero," said
Bughdadi, for their water, unless they buy it from tankers.
13. Desalinated water represents 97% of the fresh water
supply, Bughdadi said. Three large "desal" plants in Jeddah
produce about one million cubic meters (about 260 million
gallons) of fresh water per day, of which about two-thirds
goes to the roughly three million people in Jeddah, with the
remainder going outside the municipality. He said that it
"all" goes for domestic use but did not indicate what amount
is used for landscaping. KSA's first private desal plant
has been contracted and should be on-line in 2009 or 2010,
he said, and will produce 800,000 cubic meters per day. All
the plants use "Multistage Flash" (MSF) technology and
cogenerate electricity (hence the Ministry of Electricity
and Water.)
-------------- --------------
Working on Demand Management, Reducing Losses in System
-------------- --------------
14. Bughdadi says he has a "major problem" with leakage in
the fresh water distribution system. He estimates, on
admittedly scanty data, that 30-35% of the water that enters
the system gets lost en route, creating both environmental
and economic problems. The system was "slow" to address
these issues, he said.
15. The Kingdom is halfway through a demand management
program that Bughdadi said had been a "phenomenal success"
and showed "clear results." He cited a New York program as
the model for the program, which distributes water
conservation kits and information to consumers. He frankly
admitted that the lack of water conservation was "a cultural
problem." He is anxious to reduce water use, though, in
order to reduce the need for wastewater treatment
infrastructure.
--------------
Plan to Privatize Water Sector
--------------
16. The Ministry plans to develop a tariff system but this
will be a long-term project that enters the political area,
Bughdadi said. The Ministry is working with the Shura
Council (Note: This is the appointive consultative body
that analyzes and debate important policy issues and advises
the King. End note.),the World Bank and private
consultants Booz Allen Hamilton on this project.
This issue will also be intimately linked to the planned
privatization of the water system. Bughdadi complained that
the current organization chart for water looks like "an
octopus," and he wants to see the sector managed on a clean,
commercial basis.
--------------
Other Environmental Issues
--------------
17. Deputy Mayor Akeel also noted concern on solid waste
issues, particularly managing old tires. Tires are a
problem because the water they trap is a breeding ground for
Jeddah's squadrons of mosquitoes. He was also interested in
developing recycling programs for cooking oil and engine
oil. Comment: These ideas appeared to be at the conceptual
stage. End comment.
18. Akeel said that Jeddah municipality is in the process
of "considering" a contract for an environmental monitoring
center that would track the status of air and water
pollution in real time from a sensor network around the
city. He said that the contract might be let in six months.
--------------
Better Late Than Never
--------------
19. Akeel said that Saudi Arabia was "late" in developing
an environmental consciousness. Bughdadi echoed the
sentiment separately, saying that the government was "slow"
to address sewage and water issues. Akeel said that Saudis
are focusing "more and more" on the environment and now
consider it to be "very important." An indication of this
is the money being spent by the KSA on infrastructure.
GFOELLER