Arcadis, a leading natural and built asset design and consultancy firm, said it has been awarded a major contract by the Saudi Arabian government to develop a water, wastewater, treated sewage effluent and an asset management master plan for Makkah.

Under the 18-month contract, Arcadis will support National Water Company (MCBU) in expanding and improving the city’s water supply and service, said a top official.

"Makkah is a focal point of pilgrims often swelling the population above its base of two million inhabitants to over six million during religious festivals, placing significant demands on basic services," remarked Philip Bourne, the water sector director (Middle East) at Arcadis.

"The water service coverage in Makkah is low - around 65 per cent of the populated area and the wastewater service coverage is less. There is currently not sufficient capacity in the treatment plants to treat the additional flow and load," he added.

Over the next year, Arcadis will bring its global expertise together from the Middle East, Europe and US to prepare a database study of their water and wastewater infrastructure assets; develop an integrated water, wastewater and treated sewage effluent master plan; and prepare a capital investment plan for 2015 to 2050.

According to Bourne, the team will work closely with MCBU to develop the most progressive plan to fit King Abdullah’s vision of 2050.

"Once completed, the study will provide a master plan to enable future planning of water and wastewater services for over seven million people in the region as well as industrial clients to the year 2050. As part of the study, emergency works will also be contemplated," he added.-TradeArabia News Service