Saudi Arabia: wastewater reuse gains importance

As Saudi Arabia faces an increasing demand for water to support its rapid population and economic growth, General Electric (GE) held the Saudi “Used to Useful” Water Reuse Summit in April 2011 to explore water reuse solutions to support water security in the Kingdom and the region.

Saudi Arabia’s advanced treated water reuse capacity is growing at more than 30 percent annually and is expected to reach 2.2 million cubic meters per day by 2016, from a current level of 260,000 cubic meters per day.

Saudi Arabia has mandated a target of 11 percent of its water use to come from treated wastewater, which is suitable for domestic and industrial uses such as landscaping.

On World Water Day 2011, GE released a white paper called “Creating Effective Incentives for Water Reuse and Recycling“.