The water treatment market is growing and is increasingly turning to thin film composite reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membrane technology. We are very pleased about this arrangement. In Saudi Arabia Water is an extremely valuable resource in Saudi Arabia. Modern urban life, industry and, agriculture, consume far more water than the traditional life in the deserts and towns ever required. As a result of agricultural, urban and industrial growth, the country's water demand has been increasing steadily over the past two decades, reaching around 81 billion cubic feet by the year 2000.
Irrigation consumes the largest amount of water in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia is now the world's largest producer of desalinated water. Every day the country's 30 desalination plants pump almost 600 million gallons of water through nearly 2,000 miles of pipeline, meeting 70 percent of Saudi Arabia's needs for drinking water. Another expanding source of water is treated urban wastewater. It is estimated that approximately 40 percent of the water used for domestic purposes in urban areas could be recycled. Dow is a leading science and technology company that provides innovative chemical, plastic and agricultural products and services to many essential consumer markets.