JEDDAH: Fawaz Bahles, director of the business unit at the Jeddah National Water Company (NWC), said that the company continues to study ways to bring all remaining areas in Jeddah into a sanitation network.
He pointed out that projects in some areas were delayed due to their peculiar location, according to Aleqtesadiah, a sister publication of Arab News.
He expected that up to 10,000 connections to the sanitation network will be completed in a number of areas of Jeddah in the months ahead.
He said that the NCW has been covering many areas of north Jeddah since 2011. He said that Al-Rawdhah, Al-Bawadi, Al-Safa, Al-Marwah, Al-Salamah, Al-Rabwah, Al-Shatti and Al-Zahrah have already been connected to the network. Other areas are still being studied and work is underway on the project. Some projects are waiting for the allocated budget.
Bahles pointed out that recently a strategic water storage facility was inaugurated, which is one of the strategic projects underway in the country to provide water security for the residents of the region. He said that the ministry will start a number of projects in Makkah, Jeddah and Taif, including a strategic storage facility for emergencies in Jeddah.
The complete capacity of the project is around 6 million cubic meters. Out of this, 2 million cubic meters was completed in Buraiman and 1 million cubic meters will be ready in the fourth quarter of this year, also in Buraiman.
Said Al-Umari, director of assets and project services in Makkah and Taif, said that the storage facility of Al-Muaisim in Makkah was 760,000 cubic meters.
There are four storage facilities with 190,000 cubic meters each. Two of them are already operational and another two will start working in another two months.
The storage facility for Haram will be operational in the third quarter of 2016. Of this project, 75 percent is complete.
He said the NWC owns treatment stations in Makkah, Arna and Hada. The company has increased the capacity of the Hada station from 125,000 cubic meters to 250,000 cubic meters.
NWC plans sanitation network for Jeddah
NWC plans sanitation network for Jeddah
‘Cake not hate’ campaign becomes ‘Dates not hate’ in Madinah
- Dan said he was very impressed by Saudi hospitality and that his family was warmly welcomed
- He said being in Madinah exposed him to the true diversity of Islam
LONDON: A British autistic and non-verbal boy who has been visiting UK mosques and distributing cakes to promote solidarity amid an increase in far-right support in the country has taken his message of love to Madinah.
Joshua Harris, or “The Joshie-Man” as the 12-year-old is known to his social media fans, has handed out hundreds of his baked goods to worshipers at mosques in major British cities over the last few months.
The “Cake not hate” campaign came about after an Islamophobic attack on a mosque in his home city of Peterborough in October 2025.
Harris and his father visited Masjid Darassalaam, the mosque that was targeted, with cakes that the boy had baked and distributed them to the congregation soon after the attack. Since then, Harris has visited dozens of mosques in the UK.
On a recent trip to the Middle East, he and his father visited Madinah. In a local twist that pays tribute to the holy city’s famous date varieties including ajwa and ambar, Harris handed out dates to people in the courtyard of the Prophet’s Mosque. The “Cake not hate” campaign became “Dates not hate” for Saudi Arabia.
“He was greeted really, really warmly. There were some really touching moments where people were kissing his hands and his head. It was really lovely,” his father, Dan Harris, said.
Dan, the founder of global charity Neurodiversity in Business, said being in Madinah exposed him to the true diversity of Islam.
“We met people from all around the world. It was amazing. It’s like the United Nations there, you get people from different countries and it just goes to show you that the Muslim community, or the Ummah more generally, is not a homogeneous group,” he said.
“We saw people from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and it was really interesting for us.”
Dan said his visit to Madinah, considered the second holiest city in Islam after Makkah for Muslims, was “profound and life-changing.”
He added: “I would say it’s my favourite city in the world due to the peace and tranquillity I felt there.”
Dan added that he was very impressed by Saudi hospitality: “Everywhere we went, people were taking down my number and insisting that we come for dinner, insisting they pick us up from the location. They were extremely attentive to Joshie as well, making sure his needs were met. We felt a great sense of welcome, something Saudi Arabia is known for.”
