1. 2016 Hajj: Saur supervises the water supply and wastewater treatment
PRESS RELEASE
Issy-les-Moulineaux, 14 September 2016
Saudi Arabia
2016 Hajj: Saur supervises the water supply and wastewater treatment
Once again, Saur has successfully risen to the challenge of supplying freshwater and wastewater treatment services to the huge influx of pilgrims visiting Mecca for the annual Hajj pilgrimage (this year marks the 1437th). For the seventh year in succession, the teams of Saur have delivered a faultless service and contributed significantly to the success of this event which is exceptional not only for its size and symbolic importance, but also for the volumes of water it requires and consumes.
Between 8 and 14 September this year, around 2 million pilgrims travelled to Mecca and the holy site of Mashaer, where drinking water supplies and wastewater services are essential for welcoming the hajji and allowing them to carry out their religious rites.
A significant amount of preparation is required to cope with such an influx into the holy site, which is virtually deserted for the rest of the year. The teams at Saur became involved at a very early stage to check and maintain the pumping stations, drinking water supply and wastewater drainage pipelines, and all the infrastructures required to provide fire protection and air conditioning for encampments and public buildings. Key preparations also include ensuring that water reservoirs and storage tanks are filled, and that all the monitoring and data feedback systems are correctly programmed.
During the pilgrimage period, it is essential that drinking water supplies and wastewater treatment continue uninterrupted. Achieving this requires the 24/7 on-site presence and commitment of Saur experts to supervise installation operation, monitor pressure indicators and supervise water quality measurements. All the data entered are analysed in the Operations Control Centre (OCC). Data instrumentation makes it possible to be even more responsive by carrying out some operations remotely. This year, even in the most densely occupied areas, the average issue resolution time was less than an hour.
System operation is also completely transparent. A full report is submitted every 4 hours to the National Water Company (NWC) to provide a rolling update on the status of water reserves, water quality, customer complaints and work carried out.
Its meticulous management of this exceptional event confirms Saur's reputation for operational excellence and uncompromising professionalism.
The number and size of facilities operated at Mecca, and the volumes of water supplied and treated illustrate the true extent of the challenge successfully achieved by Saur:
26 reservoirs (total capacity 3,208,000 m3) and 15 pumping stations
Flow rates of up to 450,000 m³ per day through the supply pipelines of the main reservoirs
2 wastewater treatment plants
3,200 sanitary installations with 85,000 toilets
The Mashaer holy site alone was served by:
425 km of drinking water supply pipelines and 84 km of wastewater drainage pipelines
80 km of fire protection and cooling pipelines
The two peak periods of pilgrimage - Arafat Day and Aïd - required the daily supply of 314,000 m³ and 219,000 m³ of drinking water respectively.

2. PRESS RELEASE
About Saur: As a longstanding environmental services leader, SAUR Group serves local authorities and industrial companies in the successful implementation of development projects in water supply and treatment, environmental services (Coved), engineering (Stereau), infrastructure services (Cise TP), and other services related to leisure activities. Saur key figures: €1.6 billion 2015 Group net revenue, 10,000 local authorities contracted, 12,000 employees and 18 million consumers in France and worldwide.
Press contact
FTI Consulting - Astrid Villette - Tel. : + 33 (0)  
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