Saudi Arabia is advancing major global initiatives in the water sector, with a focus on uniting nations to address the growing global water crisis. Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Alfadley reaffirmed this commitment during the Rome Water Dialogue, part of the World Food Forum hosted by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) from October 10 to 17, marking the FAO’s 80th anniversary.
Alfadley emphasized Saudi Arabia’s leadership in water innovation, noting its position as the world’s largest producer of desalinated water. The Kingdom’s daily desalination capacity now exceeds 16 million cubic meters. Through continuous investment in research and technology, Saudi Arabia has successfully reduced energy consumption for desalination by almost 50 percent, achieving the lowest production costs globally. This achievement is supported by an extensive water infrastructure of over 19,000 kilometers in pipelines that reach altitudes of up to 3,000 meters and serve more than 82 percent of inhabited regions.
He highlighted that the nation is firmly progressing toward its Vision 2030 goals, with 25 public-private partnership contracts secured for desalination, transport, and water reuse projects. These initiatives have already drawn investments surpassing SR104 billion. Long-term objectives include cutting overall water production costs by half and slashing the use of non-renewable groundwater by 90 percent by 2035.
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