GROHE supports the Great Umayyad Mosque in going green

As part of its "Green Mosque" campaign and in coordination with the Ministry of Waqf in the Syrian capital Damascus, GROHE, the world's leading premium brand for sanitary fittings, replaced 50 mixers in the Great Umayyad Mosque with Contropress and Contromix self-closing taps to minimize water wastage during ablution. The new mixers were replaced in the ablution rooms and in the central courtyard area to ensure the economic, ecological and safe use of water. 

The “Green Mosque” initiative, launched in the Middle East in 2009, is part of GROHE’s global WaterCare campaign, which seeks to increase public awareness about water conservation techniques and to secure the future of this precious natural resource. The Great Umayyad Mosque was selected as the beneficiary of this initiative in Syria because it is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world and is considered the fourth holiest place in Islam. It is also the destination for thousands of worshippers and tourists every day; hence, this water conservation initiative will have a great impact in preserving water and saving public funds.

"GROHE is dedicated to using its advanced technological resources, first-class materials and design innovation to ensure water efficiency," said Ziad Saasaa, the Country Manager of GROHE in Syria. "It is this combination of factors that directly equates to reduced water consumption and products that deliver the best possible experience and which last a lifetime."

The new mixers were ordered from GROHE headquarters in Germany, where the company designed 29 Contromix mixers especially for the Umayyad Mosque to be installed in the ablution rooms (for male and female), in addition to another 21 Contrpress wall-mountable mixers in the central courtyard area. The position and location of each mixer was set to ensure maximum comfort during all stages of the ablution. After the installation process, representatives from GROHE trained the Mosque’s technical team on how to set up and use the new mixers.

Commenting on the success criteria of the “Green Mosque” initiative, Mr. Saasaa concluded: "GROHE installed five water meters inside the ablution rooms and central courtyard to monitor the water usage for a period of one-month, before and after the mixers were installed. A report on the amount of water conserved by this initiative is expected soon."

GROHE launched the "Green Mosque" initiative in Dubai in 2009, in partnership with the Dubai Water and Electricity Authority (DEWA) and Sesam Business Consultants. In this initiative, 20 new mixers with self-closing taps were installed for free in the Abu-Hamed Ghazali Mosque resulting in a 30% decrease in water usage.

The "Green Mosque" initiative is now being rolled out in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.