National Water Plans $1.1 Billion of Saudi Infrastructure

Saudi Arabia’s largest water supplier is planning 4 billion riyals ($1.1 billion) of infrastructure projects in the desert kingdom for early next year.

That’s on top of 319 contracts awarded this year by state-run National Water Co. that the utility valued at 23.5 billion riyals for works in the capital Riyadh, port of Jeddah, Mecca and the tourist area of Taif known as the City of Roses.

“These projects aim to increase operational efficiency in heavily populated areas to keep up with the rising demand for water services,” it said today. The company recently completed building the biggest water-treatment plant in oil-rich Saudi Arabia, which will produce 400,000 cubic meters of treated water to serve a population that’s quadrupled to 30 million in four decades.