Saudi Arabia to build water reservoirs to overcome water shortage
Saudi Arabia is set to build 1,000
rainwater harvesting dams with an annual capacity of 4 million cubic meters, as
part of its drive to strengthen water sustainability and environmental
conservation under Vision 2030, the Saudi Gazette reported.
Minister of Environment, Water and
Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadley, in a recent press briefing, outlined the
progress of the National Environment Strategy. Key achievements include the
creation of five specialized environmental centers and the launch of the
region’s largest environmental fund to support green initiatives.
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As part of the Saudi Green
Initiative, the Kingdom has rehabilitated over 500,000 hectares of degraded
land and planted 151 million trees, with a target to restore 2.5 million
hectares and plant 215 million trees by 2030. Long-term plans envision 10
billion trees across 40 million hectares.
Saudi Arabia has dramatically
expanded its protected areas, with national parks increasing from 18 to 500 and
terrestrial reserves now covering 18% of the country. Marine protected areas
have grown by 260% since 2016, while more than 8,000 endangered species have
been reintroduced into the wild.
Environmental regulation and
monitoring have also advanced, with a 660% rise in issued permits, over 173,000
inspections, and a national network of 240 air quality monitoring stations.
Additionally, Saudi pilots have completed 711 cloud-seeding missions, boosting
rainfall by 6.4 million cubic meters.
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The Kingdom has implemented 21
strategic waste management plans and identified investment opportunities worth
SR450 billion to divert 90% of waste from landfills by 2040. Two pioneering
centers — the Regional Center for Climate Change Studies and the Regional
Center for Sand and Dust Storms — have been launched, enhancing global research
collaboration.
Water sector advancements include
doubling daily production to 16.6 million cubic meters, with 75% sourced from
desalination, making Saudi Arabia the world’s largest producer. Strategic
storage capacity has risen by 600%, and water reuse has grown to 550 million
cubic meters, now 32% of total usage. Energy consumption in water operations
has halved since 2016.
Agricultural output continues to
expand, with GDP in the sector reaching SR118 billion, an 8% increase from last
year. The Kingdom has achieved self-sufficiency in dates, milk, and eggs, and
near self-sufficiency in various vegetables and poultry. Exports of fish and
shrimp are also on the rise.
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The UN Water Conference recently
recognized Saudi Arabia as a global model for sustainable water practices. With
projects worth over SR230 billion completed and local content in the water
sector exceeding 65%, the Kingdom is steadily advancing toward its Vision 2030
goals.
Source:
https://azertag.az/
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