A look to the future requires a quick exploration of not only learning from looking back at historical trends but to explore challenges and opportunities in the future (see example from a recent World Bank study on the climate crisis). Challenges for water management could include the consideration not only of climate change scenarios but also issues of data access, institutional capacity and collaboration and financial sustainability of the scale of interventions required in future scenarios. Many of these could also be converted into opportunities especially in building on modern technologies to enable a broad range of water-related institutions in Saudi Arabia to better manage water for future generations.
The water sector of KSA has been growing at 8%, currently there is a daily capacity of 4.6million m³, including both desalination and re-use, the sector is valued at SAR 48.75 billion (US $13 billion). This growth is due to strong industrial output, steady population growth and a huge consumption rate per capita, one of the highest globally. Investments up to 2020 in water production, infrastructure and water related services are estimated at SAR 187 billion (US $50 billion) according to Invest Saudi. There are several opportunities to improve the treatment, distribution and management of KSA’s water resources:
The KSA is vulnerable to climate change because of several physical , economic and social factors :the presence of the Arabian desert which covers 2.2million km2 of the Arabian peninsula, climatic conditions that range from semi-to hyper aridity, extremely low yearly rainfall, high evapotranspiration, culminating in water scarcity. Coastlines that are susceptible to sea level rise. Heatwaves and sandstorms that make trade and services vulnerable, as well as price volatility in the import and export of goods and services.
In 2016, Saudi Arabia ratified the Paris Agreement and submitted its first Nationally Determined Contribution, which aims to achieve avoidance of up to 130 million tons of CO2eq by 2030 annually through economic diversification and adaptation.
These ambitions are contingent on the Kingdom’s economy continuing to grow with an increasingly diversified economy and a robust contribution from oil export revenues to the national economy. It is also premised on the fact that the economic and social consequences of international climate change policies and measures do not pose disproportionate or abnormal burden on the Kingdom’s economy.
To achieve the INDCs the KSA plans to utilize technology cooperation and transfer as well as capacity building.
Under adaptation, various initiatives are being carried out in different sectors, in the water sector some initiatives being carried out are
Reuse of reclaimed water for CO2 reduction and energy savings with the objective of using reclaimed water for irrigation and industrial purposes
Water Conservation Strategy spearheaded by Saudi Aramco , this strategy aims to reduce the use of fresh water through maximizing wastewater reuse, optimizing water demand as plants and in communities and reducing water losses.
Mangrove Eco Park which is part of the initiative of Saudi Aramco to biodiversity protection initiative.
There are several initiatives in the Renewal Energy sub sector for adaptation, of particular relevance to the water sector are :
King Abdullah Initiative for Solar Powered Desalination: with the priority objective of developing clean energy while protecting the environment, other objectives in this initiative are to desalinate water using solar energy, apply photovoltaic and reverse osmosis membrane systems nanotechnologies and to build advanced industries. This is a four phased rollout: to build a 30000m³ /day solar powered desalination plant at Al-Khafji, construct a 300000m³/day solar powered desalination plant, apply the initiative throughout the Kingdom and finally to apply it to agriculture
Renewable Desalination: The Saudi Water Conversion Corporation and the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy are developing two projects to connect desalination plants with Renewable Energy: In Farasan, the conversion of an existing thermal desalination plant to solar thermal energy and in Haql,a new wind energy powered reverse osmosis plant.
As groundwater depletes and threatens long-term sustainable development, there is a need to take urgent measures to ensure water security
A shift of cropping choice to more drought resistant crops
Improving irrigation systems through technology to less water intensive systems
Improving skill-base of farmers to shift from water-intensive agriculture
Integrating water policies and planning with that of other sectors, as water connects to other sectors.
Applying circular economy principles to water management
One of the most important aspects of “disruption” in water planning and management is the range of evolving technologies that offer new paradigms to address some of the existing and evolving challenges.
For a quick overview, please see an overview of disruptive technologies in a draft e-book on Disruptive Technologies being developed by the Bank team (especially an exploration of new technology applications).
Please see below some “deep dives” into new technologies that could have particular relevance for water supply, use and management in Saudi Arabia.
Use of Modern Information Systems: There is a new opportunity to leverage a growing set of public-domain data services that are available for integration into dynamic customizable dashboards and decision support tools.
The Annex to this e-book indicates the wide range of data and analytics of relevance to Saudi Arabia water resources that is already accessible. These have been collated together into a simple interactive platform
Mangrove reforestation through Drone Technology: Drones are used to map and collect data about the topography and soil condition that can be combined with satellite data and analyzed to determine the best locations to plant each seed to decide on which areas are best suited for planting. The drones are loaded with biodegradable pods filled with germinated seeds and nutrients, which are fired into the ground. 10 drones operated by two pilots, can plant up to 400,000 trees in a day, 10 times as faster than previous using manual labor, at half the cost. The trees also earn revenue through carbon credits.
Nemo’s Garden: Nemo’s Garden aims to create an alternative system of agriculture, especially dedicated to those areas where environmental conditions among other reasons make plants growth extremely difficult. Agriculture represents 70% of freshwater use worldwide. Having access to the required amount of water is challenging in most regions of the world where rainfall is insufficient or variable. Essentially agriculture draws water from aquifers and underground water sources at an unsustainable rate. The pressure on water resources placed by industry and urban areas is putting under risk the water security. And at the same time, agriculture is facing the challenge of producing more food for the world’s growing population with reduced water resources. Even more, climate change has the potential to affect agriculture through changes in temperature, rainfall (timing and quantity), CO2, solar radiation and the interaction of these elements.
Nemo’s Garden Project proposes an alternative agriculture system, an underwater farm that could be placed along the coastline. The project consists of several biospheres connected by a central ‘tree of life’ that is connected to a control tower on the shore that monitors each biosphere and provides power.
3-D Printed Coral Reefs: A group of researchers have developed 3D printed bionic corals. The structures allow coral reefs to rehabilitate. The 3D-printed model acts as a support system for new coral to float onto and grow upon. They also aim to provide a platform capable of growing microalgae that need the coral biostructure to thrive. Over time, the biodegradable material decays, leaving behind only coral, and setting the stage for a full-blown reef to develop. It combines sand and seawater to produce a stone-like structure, perfect for mimicking a natural reef.
The major benefit of 3D printing coral reefs is the flexibility with design. The technology allows researchers to mimic the complex natural shape of coral that makes it so appealing to sea life. As the coral grows, the structure also provides protection and food to countless species that depend on reefs for their survival.
There are limitations to this technology as a reef’s survival is ultimately dependent on healthy, growing coral. Simply providing more structure for the coral to grow on doesn’t guarantee any solution.
Water from Thin Air. Water harvester: University of California, Berkeley, researchers are developing a water harvester that will allow to pull all the water directly from the air, even in the hot, dry desert. This water harvester can pull more than five cups of water (1.3 liters) from low-humidity air per day for each kilogram (2.2 pounds) of water-absorbing material, a very porous substance called a metal-organic framework, or MOF. That is more than the minimum required to stay alive.
The latest version of the water harvester blows ambient air over a cartridge filled with the metal-organic framework. The MOF pulls water from the arid air, which is then removed from the MOF by mild heating. This model uses solar panels to power fans blowing ambient air over MOF contained within a cartridge. They are also attached to batteries so that the harvester can run at night. The batteries also power small heaters that drive the water out of the MOF. The concentrated water vapor is blown out through the tube at right to a condenser. The harvester’s secret ingredient is a type of MOF invented by Yaghi and his UC Berkeley colleagues that easily and quickly takes up water from the air and just as readily disgorges it so the water can be collected.