A recent call by Prince Talal ibn Abdul Aziz, chairman of the Arab Gulf Fund for the Support of United Nations Organizations (AGFUND), to find unconventional solutions to the water shortage brings to mind an ambitious project that could have greatly helped in overcoming the problem.
The idea was floated three decades ago by Prince Muhammad Al-Faisal to bring in fresh water from the South Pole.
A $12 million study lasting five years proposed transporting water from the South Pole, only to be forgotten since no country, including Saudi Arabia, came forward to sponsor the project.
The South Pole accounts for 85 to 90 percent of the world’s fresh water, enough to feed ten times the world and turn its deserts into green fields. The 2,000-page study attracted scientists from all over the world, who debated the idea during a series of international conferences between 1975 and 1980.
Prince Muhammad Al-Faisal’s dream was to find reliable water sources for a country in the middle of a massive economic and social development drive. Every possible alternative was examined, from artificial rain to bringing in fresh river water by ship and pipelines from Pakistan, Africa, Turkey and Iraq. In the end, it was decided that desalination represented the best solution, but even this has its risks. It was relatively expensive and risk-prone, not least because the plants are vulnerable to sabotage and the pollution of seawater.
In the Second Gulf War of 1991, when the Iraqi regime burnt oilfields causing massive pollution, the largest desalination plant in the world in Jubail together with many other plants along the Arabian Gulf were shut down.
I hereby renew my call for Prince Talal and Prince Muhammad Al-Faisal to team up in their efforts and revive the idea now we have an independent Ministry for Water headed by an unconventional minister known for his unconventional policies, dedication and many achievements.
No matter how costly the project might seem, its cost pales compared to the money spent by Western societies on pets, ornamental flowers, and cosmetics, and the billions spent on smoking and treating diseases caused by water shortage.
This is not to mention the costs of wars and the development of new conventional arms and weapons of mass destruction.
- Arab News From the Local Press 31 July 2003
