RIYADH, 23 October — Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, said here yesterday that the Kingdom was trying to find ways to develop water resources in the face of increasing demand and dwindling supply.
"The increasing demand for water, despite its scarcity, prompts us to find ways to develop resources, economize use and support research." Prince Sultan said while addressing a meeting of the council that selects the winners of this year’s Prince Sultan International Prize for Water.
"The Kingdom has set up a national plan for water that aims at evaluating water resources, controlling demand, evolving a water policy and preparing a system to economize on use of water for various purposes".
"Undoubtedly, honoring intellectuals through this prize is one way of appreciating their distinguished efforts and achievements. This could encourage others to do their best in water research," Prince Sultan added.
Secretary-General of the council Dr. Abdul Malek ibn Abdulrahman Al-Sheikh said that the prize aims to appreciate efforts and research conducted by scientists, intellectuals and scientific foundations worldwide.
The prize is divided into five categories, each worth SR 500,000 funded by Prince Sultan, he said. The categories are: surface water, effective ways to control floods; ground water, industrial supply of ground water; alternative water resources, economical technologies for sea water desalination; water resources management, modern and effective techniques to reduce irrigation water consumption; water resources protection, protection of ground water from agricultural pollutants.
The meeting was attended by Prince Khaled ibn Sultan, assistant minster of defense and aviation for military affairs; Prince Faisal ibn Sultan, secretary-general of Prince Sultan Charitable Foundation; Dr. Ghazi Al-Gosaibi, minister of water, and members of the council.
Meanwhile, Prince Sultan yesterday attended a ceremony held in honor of retired military officers and donated SR5 million to the association of retired officers of the Defense and Aviation Ministry.
