Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Saturday, Aug 30, 2025

International Conference on Water Resources, Arid Environments begins in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadli inaugurated the 10th International Conference on Water Resources and Arid Environments on Monday.
Held under the patronage of King Salman, the conference is being co-organized by King Saud University, represented by the Prince Sultan Institute for Environmental, Water and Desert Research and the Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud Foundation, along with MEWA.

The speakers expressed thanks during the opening ceremony to the king and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, for their policy of helping to bring about radical development in all areas of the Kingdom, as well as sponsoring scientific events which will contribute toward achieving the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 programs.

Abdulmalik Al-Sheikh, the chairman of the Supreme Supervisory Committee of the conference supervising PSIEWDR, stressed the importance of workflow in implementing many ambitious initiatives adopted by the Kingdom and launched by the crown prince.

He said that among projects the conference will highlight is the Saudi Green Initiative, which was launched by the crown prince last year, while policy aims included protecting the environment, energy conversion and sustainability programs in the Kingdom, achieving comprehensive goals of offsetting and reducing carbon emissions, increasing the use of clean energy, and combating climate change.

Al-Sheikh, who is also the secretary-general of the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water, gave an overview of the prize, which coincided with the 20th anniversary of its inception by its founder, Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

He said: “The conference aims to develop knowledge and exchange information within its five pillars, which are water and dry environment; water rationalization and conservation; the use of modern technologies in studying the dry environment and its natural resources; exchanging expertise between decision makers, experts and specialists; and finding solutions to water and environmental challenges, especially in arid and semi-arid regions of the world.”

President of King Saud University Badran Al-Omar said King Salman “graciously sponsored” the conference two weeks after sponsoring the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water award ceremony, which was held at the UN headquarters in Vienna.

He said the conference was vital as it addresses water resources that form the basis of sustainable economic and social development, food production, and the integrity of environmental systems.

Al-Omar said that the world is going through political, economic, and environmental crises, which require unifying efforts and focusing on serious scientific research to develop creative solutions, adding that the UN and the World Meteorological Organization warned last year that water and food are the main reasons why these crises have exacerbated.

He reviewed the role of King Saud University in preserving the Kingdom’s natural resources through its general strategic plan and initiatives, especially those related to water resources management and development.

He said the university also conducts and publishes scientific research through many scientific research chairs and institutes that deal with water issues, including PSIEWDR, and among the pilot projects it has implemented is developing effective methods to harvest and store rain and torrential water, which it has successfully applied in the basins of more than 20 dams throughout the Kingdom.

The institute is currently preparing the first environmental atlas for Saudi Arabia, which highlights the diversity of the local environment and issues related to it, he added.

Al-Fadli affirmed the state’s support for motivating scientists and researchers to work on developing research, innovation and technologies, and said this contributes to finding practical solutions to many challenges in environmental, water and desertification issues.

He said the Kingdom is working on developing a national strategy for water and the environment, which includes many strategic goals, programs and initiatives that adopt research and innovation, and are among the options and enablers to support and enhance the management of water resources, to raise environmental commitment and reduce pollution.

He added: “The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture has adopted many initiatives and programs to develop the natural plant sector and combat desertification, most notably the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative, in addition to the water resources initiative, which has 15 initiatives, including developing renewable groundwater resources, which is the main focus of this conference.

“It resulted in many projects that contributed to enhancing the utilization of renewable water, including the construction of dams, whose storage capacity amounted to about 2.6 billion cubic meters, and developed rainwater harvesting projects, agricultural terrace rehabilitations, and rural development programs.”

Al-Fadli said the environmental field has achieved many targets to reduce carbon emissions in the desalination industry at a rate of 26 million tons annually, as well as programs to rehabilitate pastoral sites, seedling production, and afforestation and seed field development to protect and develop vegetation cover.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
×