Saudi Arabia has announced that it will penalize the construction of man-made or artificial lakes in farms for the purpose of investment or entertainment.
The country’s Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, or MEWA, announced through the official Saudi Press Agency that any such construction would be deemed “a violation of the water bylaws and the relevant executive regulations.”
The laws and regulations it pointed to are aimed at preserving water resources, ensuring their sustainability, rationalizing water consumption, and preventing its misuse.
Global nonprofit The Borgen Project estimates that while 97 percent of Saudi Arabia has access to potable water, the quantity is not enough.
It has said on its website: “The absolute water scarcity level is 500 cubic meters per capita, per year. Saudi Arabia has only 89.5 cubic meters per capita, per year.”
This move by MEWA is clearly aimed at not exacerbating the situation, which is already dire because of overconsumption in some circles.
The ministry, meanwhile, said several video clips circulating on various social-media platforms show some citizens establishing artificial lakes in their farms.
It said such projects pose a great waste of water and its use, which violates the given licenses.
The ministry noted that it does not issue licenses to dig wells for the establishment of industrial, recreational, or investment lakes in a country where non-renewable water resources are limited.
It added that it would take strict measures to enforce the regulations and impose penalties and fines against the violators the governing regulations.
The penalties may amount to withdrawing the license to use groundwater in the event of a repeated violation, in order to preserve the non-renewable water resources.
The ministry, however, said such projects can be executed using treated water or return water after obtaining the approval of the competent authorities.