purpose,” Travers explains. Despite the fact the sewage treatment plant could process 30,000 cubic


metres per day, the same quantity was still being dumped, so drying the lake up, looked impossible. Although it was a step in the right direction, Travers says much more needed to be done. “Te sewage treatment capacity was doubled to 60,000 cubic metres per day and the dumping was progressively reduced to the point where it was stopped about a year ago. Terefore, the lake dried in nine months. Te waste water also had a solid component and we had to harvest that organic material and go through a composting process so it could be used as fertiliser. We had to capture the benefit and saw it as another opportunity.” Beyond the concept master plan, other consultants and contractors were tasked with taking the project forwards.


FLOODS OF 2009 Buro Happold was just getting to the completion stage of the master plan


draft when the major floods of November 2009 occurred. Travers says: “One of the things we had to do was look at the risk of flooding at the wadi site and the risk that might have on making its way to Jeddah. Tere’s ag large emergency dam, it was constructed because of the fear the sewage


JUNE 2011 I CITYSCAPE I 23


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