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water management of water supply and sanitation services. The ultimate aim of this program- me of the Government of the King- dom of Saudi Arabia is to encou- rage private sector participation in the management of water and sanitation in the country and to im- prove efficiency across the board. This contract, executed by a mul- tidisciplinary team of experts from the consortium companies of nine different nationalities, will optimise the management and pursue the social, environmental and econo- mic sustainability of the integrated water cycle in the vast southern re- gion of Saudi Arabia. Desalination plant and distribution system in the industrial area of Jizán (Saudi Arabia). Saudi privatisation programme: Modernisation and sustainable development As part of the Saudi Vision 2030, which aims at the modernisation and sustainable development of the country, the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agri- culture of Saudi Arabia has developed a National Wa- ter Strategy (NWS 2030), which addresses the main challenges of the sector through policy and institutio- nal reform initiatives. As a result of this process, the national water utility NWC was authorised to imple- ment an integrated private sector attraction program- me to improve service efficiency. The programme aims to restructure the national wa- ter system into six regional distribution clusters, which are developed by specialised private companies. This institutional and legal reform in the country aims to achieve financial sustainability of the water sector and will be developed in two phases: ■ Phase 1: Implementation of Management, Ope- ration and Maintenance (MOM) contracts, in each cluster, of seven years duration. ■ Phase 2: Implementation of long-term conces- sion contracts in each cluster. The six administrative/geographical areas identified with the clusters are as follows: East Cluster (Eastern region of the country); West Cluster (Mecca region); North Cluster (Qassim, Hail, Al-Jouf and Northern Border regions); North West Cluster (Medina and Tabuk regions); Central Cluster (Central Area of the country); and South Cluster (Asir, El Baha, Najran and Jizan regions). The South Cluster, which includes the provinces of Asir, Jizán, El Baha and Najrán, in the south of Saudi Arabia, covers an area equivalent to half of Spain B U S I N E S S 13 B U S I N E S S