JEDDAH, 17 September — Dr. Ghazi Abdul Rahman Al-Gosaibi, Saudi ambassador to Britain, has been appointed minister of water, a Royal Court announcement said yesterday. A Royal Decree issued by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd said the appointment was made on the recommendation of Prince Abdullah, the regent.
The announcement also said that all water-related departments and agencies including the Aziziya Water Department would come under the new Water Ministry with immediate effect.
The new move comes after the Council of Ministers decided last year to set up a separate ministry for water. The portfolio of agriculture and water that has been held by Dr. Abdullah Muammar was split into two.
Gosaibi, a renowned poet, held the portfolios of health, electricity and industry in previous Cabinets before his appointment as the Kingdom’s envoy to London about a decade ago. He was nominated in 1999 to head UNESCO.
The new ministry was set up in light of a proposal made by the Ministerial Committee for Administrative Organization chaired by Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation.
“The supervision and management of the water sector including the water & sewage departments now comes under the direct responsibility of the Water Ministry,” the Royal Court statement said.
The Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) will remain an independent organization but will be attached to the ministry administratively. The minister will be SWCC’s board chairman.
Spelling out the new ministry’s responsibilities, the statement said it would conduct studies on water resources and prepare a national plan for water. The ministry will prepare a comprehensive plan to establish water and sewage networks all over the Kingdom. “It will also develop the country’s water policies and propose new regulations to preserve water,” the statement said.
The ministry will conduct a study on water tariffs for all groups of beneficiaries and set out a plan to ensure effective collection of water revenues. It will also license digging of wells and determine their depths.
“The ministry will work out a suitable framework for private investment in the sector, covering financing, implementation, operation and maintenance of water projects,” the Royal Court said.
