RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s National Water Company has completed merging 13 public water distribution firms to increase efficiency of operations and fix technical gaps. The move will also localize expertise in the sector, NWC’s chief Mohammed Al-Mowkley said on Monday. The announcement was attended by the Kingdom’s Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadley, who said investments in the water sector stood at $21.3 billion. The move is part of Saudi Arabia"s National Water Strategy that aims to restructure the sector to serve its residents better. Under the integration, Tabuk and Al-Madinah will be the “northwestern sector,” while governorates in Riyadh will be under the “middle sector.” NWC had previously launched a unified digital structure to improve its services across the Kingdom.