Abdul Lateef Al-Asheikh, municipal and rural affairs minister, has awarded 156 sanitation and public improvement projects worth SR1.17 billion to several contractors recently.

There was SR236 million budgeted for various environmental projects including treating waste at Al-Sali in Riyadh, disposing of waste in Al-Huraimilaa, and establishing a dump site and treatment plant in Al-Dawadmi.

Other environmental projects include a waste treatment facility in Al-Jamsh in Riyadh, waste-management project in Jeddah, and a waste-removal project in Ras Tanoura.

The budget further covers treating waste in Hafr Al-Batin, Al-Saeerah and Al-Alya in the Eastern Province, removing swamps and ponds in Asir, and securing cleaning equipment for Al-Khubaraa, Oqlat Al-Sugour and Oyoun Al-Jawaa in Al-Qasim.

The ministry also awarded contracts for cleaning and compressing waste in Makkah, removing insects and rodents in Taif, securing cleaning equipment in Al-Wajah, Al-Shabah and Bada in Tabuk, and moving waste and establishing a central dump in Abu Areesh.

Contractors have been given projects to clean parks in Al-Edidani in Jazan, disposing of waste and removing swamps in Bani Kabir in Al-Baha, and building fences around two cemeteries and establishing places to wash the dead in Madinah and Al-Mujarada in Asir.

The ministry has awarded contracts worth SR307.8 million to construct parks and pedestrian pathways, maintain municipal yards, develop heritage villages in several cities and governorates, complete the development at Half Moon Beach and upgrade the beachfront in Al-Qunfutha.

Construction contracts worth SR335.6 million were awarded, including accommodation for workers in Al-Hareeq municipality, putting up cement blockades in Al-Mozahamiyah, setting up markets and slaughterhouses in Houtat bin Tamim, and rehabilitating popular markets and industrial areas in Al-Anaam city in Al-Zalafi.

There were also safety and security projects awarded worth SR290.7 million, including fire protection measures for Riyadh municipality, the furnishing of Al-Ghat and Beisha municipalities, installation of lighting and decorations for Madinah municipality and supplying equipment to develop and implement information technology and infrastructure in municipalities across the Kingdom.