![](/images/saudidrain_nihilenz_flickr.jpg "The ministry recently launched the "processed water" initiative where the National Water Company (NWC) can commercialise waste water. (Image source: Nihilenz/Flickr)")
Saudi Arabia will expand sewage networks to cover 70 per cent of urban areas over the next five years, with alternative means to reuse waste water
Ali Al-Mutlaq, director of sewage department, said, ?Sewage networks currently cover 49 per cent of all cities and provinces and the figure is expected to touch 53 per cent by the end of the current year.?
The Ministry of Water and Electricity had recently launched the ?processed water? initiative where the National Water Company (NWC) can commercialise waste water.
It has also taken up construction and operation of centralised labs across Saudi Arabia to monitor the quality of processed waste water, along with the expansion of projects to re-use processed water for municipal, industrial and agricultural purposes.
Simultaneously, the ministry has also started building a comprehensive online database of waste water disposal systems across the kingdom.
The NWC may also strike deals with mega companies like Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden), Saudi Cooling Company, and Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) for the supply of processed water for a period extending up to 30 years.
