Article 4 of the Saudi Public Utilities Protection Law

The networks of public utilities often overlap in the same place: electricity cables, telephone lines, and water and sewage pipes under the roads. For this reason, this article imposes on public utility departments and companies a duty to coordinate with one another.

What does the article require?

• Coordination among utility operators in a way that serves the protection of each utility, so that one body's works do not damage another body's utility.
• Ensuring that any damage a utility suffers is repaired as quickly as possible.
• Announcing the responsible person on their side who can be contacted at any time, so that it is known whom to notify when damage occurs.

This article is linked to Article 3, which requires each body to protect its utility, educate others and provide plans within 15 days. This article extends the duty to the relationship among the bodies themselves. Announcing a responsible person who is available at any time also makes it easier to report damage when it occurs.

The article does not specify the method of coordination or the form in which the responsible person is announced; that is left to the utility operators and to the implementing decisions issued by the ministers concerned. The article is addressed mainly to the bodies that operate utilities, but it is useful for individuals and contractors to know that each utility has a contact point that is always available.