MALAYSIAN SOLUTION TO SAUDI WATER NEEDS

KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 (Bernama) -- Saudi Arabia has inked a deal with local firm, Vigilant (M) Sdn Bhd, to purchase a "Water from Air" product that will help its people reduce their dependence on bottled water.

Prominent Saudi Arabian businesswoman Nouf Idrees signed a memorandum of understanding with Vigilant Managing Director K. Krish Kumar recently to create Vigilant Saudi Arabia, which will act as the sole importer, distributor and agent of the Malaysian entity.

Vigilant Sdn Bhd is a wholly owned subsidiary of the QI Group of Companies which has its headquarters in Hong Kong.

Krish said in a statement that the product will help Saudi Arabians reduce their dependence on bottled water, resulting in cost savings of 57 per cent.

The product works by extracting air from the atmosphere and condensing it through several filters to produce clean and safe drinking water.

Since Saudi Arabia has limited water resources and a high evaporation rate, the "Water from Air" product will ensure households and offices have drinking water throughout the day.

QI, helmed by Malaysian entrepreneur Vijay Eswaran, last year opened its operational headquarters in Petaling Jaya with the purchase of a RM60 million building in PJ8. (US$1=RM3.05)

"Our 15-litre capacity desktop unit can produce each litre of water at US$0.15 compared to US$0.35 for a litre of bottled water.

For the 35-litre capacity standup unit, the cost savings is 48 per cent based on a production cost of US$0.18 per litre, said Krish.

Nouf said the Ministry of Water and Electricity of Saudi Arabia had
estimated that drinking water consumption in the country has been increasing by 24 per cent annually, and Saudi Arabia is now the third largest consumer of water, after the United States and Canada.

"Saudi Arabia currently produces drinking water mainly through desalination plants, and this is projected to increase to 10 million cubic meters in the next 20 years.

"While underground water is available, it is not getting renewed fast enough due to seasonal rainfall of only 70-100 millimeters annually, making Saudi Arabia one of the most water-poor countries in the world. This is precisely why we expect 'Water from Air' to be an instant hit in the market," she said.

Among those who witnessed the signing ceremony between Krish Kumar and Nouf were QI Group Managing Director, Joseph Bismark, Dr Yussof Alsagabe, the Head of Saudi Embassy Operations, and Bernhard H Mayer, the founder of Mayer Mint in Germany.

Bismark expressed gratitude to Dr Yussof and the Saudi government for being open to Malaysians wishing to do business in that country and added that the "Water from Air" product would provide a good opportunity for the penetration ofother products into the kingdom.
-- BERNAMA