Food safety
Water Crisis in Saudi Arabia
Introduction
Without water, there is no life. This is true for people and all other living things on our planet. In addition, although almost 75% of the earth’s surface is covered in water, less than one percent is drinkable, fresh water from lakes and rivers. About three percent of the world’s fresh water is frozen in glaciers and Antarctic ice caps or underground in aquifers, which makes it difficult to reach. The rest of earth’s water (97%) is salt water from the oceans.1 Water is considered a renewable resource, but there are many countries where water is scarce. The distribution of fresh water supplies around the world varies considerably. Countries like Canada and Brazil have abundant supplies while many countries in the Middle East have very little access to fresh water.2
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) covers most of the Arabian Peninsula, at the southwest tip of Asia. It is about a quarter of the size of the United States, covering 2400 million kilometers. It is located in the arid region (Lat. 16–32N; Lon. 34–56 E) with very little rain. The country’s economy is based on oil, which comprises 90% of its export income. The booming economy has led to a rise in development, population and living standards. In the years from 1972 to 2011, the population grew from 6.9 million to 26 million. This increase in population has also led to an increase in the need for water.3
Most of the water used in the KSA came from groundwater sources. However, these are non-renewable sources and have been greatly depleted. Other sources of water are renewable surface and groundwater sources, desalinate water as well as treated wastewater. The land of Saudi Arabia is of varied topographic structure that is largely desert. Although it has many large valleys that slope from the Sarawat Mountains in the south, no permanent rivers or streams exist in the area. The climate for the most part is harsh dry desert with great extremes of
Introduction
Without water, there is no life. This is true for people and all other living things on our planet. In addition, although almost 75% of the earth’s surface is covered in water, less than one percent is drinkable, fresh water from lakes and rivers. About three percent of the world’s fresh water is frozen in glaciers and Antarctic ice caps or underground in aquifers, which makes it difficult to reach. The rest of earth’s water (97%) is salt water from the oceans.1 Water is considered a renewable resource, but there are many countries where water is scarce. The distribution of fresh water supplies around the world varies considerably. Countries like Canada and Brazil have abundant supplies while many countries in the Middle East have very little access to fresh water.2
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) covers most of the Arabian Peninsula, at the southwest tip of Asia. It is about a quarter of the size of the United States, covering 2400 million kilometers. It is located in the arid region (Lat. 16–32N; Lon. 34–56 E) with very little rain. The country’s economy is based on oil, which comprises 90% of its export income. The booming economy has led to a rise in development, population and living standards. In the years from 1972 to 2011, the population grew from 6.9 million to 26 million. This increase in population has also led to an increase in the need for water.3
Most of the water used in the KSA came from groundwater sources. However, these are non-renewable sources and have been greatly depleted. Other sources of water are renewable surface and groundwater sources, desalinate water as well as treated wastewater. The land of Saudi Arabia is of varied topographic structure that is largely desert. Although it has many large valleys that slope from the Sarawat Mountains in the south, no permanent rivers or streams exist in the area. The climate for the most part is harsh dry desert with great extremes of