What are the major challenges that cause such a water-scarce country to become this wasteful?
HN: I hate to call it water “wastage” as I feel the more accurate term is water “loss.” Such losses are typically divided into two components: the physical and technical losses and the administrative losses. Physical and technical losses are those associated with the aging water networks throughout the Kingdom, some of which are as old as 30 years, and contribute to around 25% of total losses. In order to addresses these specific losses, we would need billions of dollars to rehabilitate and renew our network. However, more important, in my opinion, are the administrative losses or water theft. We have, over the years, faced great challenges in going into areas to try and prohibit illegal use of water. During my tenure as minister, my employees would be kicked out or even fired upon by the locals, resulting in several incidents that involved injuries. We need to find ways to ease the process of going into areas where water is being used illegally and I think this is a task that requires
