Water Management

As a desert country, Saudi Arabia is fully dependent on its seawater desalination plants, water reservoirs and groundwater reserves for the water supply of its population and economy. The dwindling groundwater resources, which have served about 90% of total water demand over the past 5 years, are predominantly non-regenerative. Daily per capita consumption averages 265 l, making the water-scarce country one of the world's top consumers. Precipitation is very low, averaging 59 mm (cf. Germany: 700 mm) per year, and is both regionally and seasonally varying, with evaporation rates of 3000 mm per year and more, depending on the region. The problem of dwindling groundwater resources is further aggravated by uneconomical use, as, for instance, little expertise exists in well rehabilitation. Costly new wells have to be drilled on a regular basis. The remaining 10% of water demand is met by a large and growing desalination industry. Already, 20% of the total energy consumption, or 1.5 million barrels of oil daily, is accounted for by seawater desalination plants alone.

Saudi Arabia's "Vision 2030" reform program explicitly lists the optimal use of water resources as one of its goals. Optimal use is to be achieved by reducing consumption and by using treated water.

It is assumed that annual investment in Saudi water infrastructure will amount to USD 5 billion over the next 20 years. The state-owned (NWC) stated in mid-2015 that it was involved in 301 water projects with a total volume of USD 6.7 billion.