Our papers recently reported a visit by the minister of water and electricity to the Asir region in the southern part of the Kingdom. The minister opened several new projects and inspected progress in others; all of them are intended to solve the water problems in the region that have affected development projects.
That same day that I read of the minister’s visit, I also read another report concerning the widespread misuse of water by the local population in another area of the country. The report spoke of how the people in the tiny Al-Badaie village in Qasim region have so far dug 32,000 wells. The wells irrigate 2,000 of their farms which produce wheat and fodder on more than 36,000 hectares. The report was meant to paint a picture of the region as a green paradise that, thanks to agriculture, has been completely transformed.
What a waste! Imagine a small area with a total population, excluding foreign farm workers, that does not exceed 5,000 or 6,000. And those people have dug an enormous number of wells in order to cultivate crops which require huge amounts of water. Simple calculations based on the population will show that there is an average of six wells for each inhabitant — with each well producing an unspecified number of gallons per hour. Agricultural experts who read the article wonder how this could have been allowed to happen.
I am sure everyone reading these figures will raise their eyebrows in surprise and disbelief. This excessive plundering of the most precious commodity on earth takes place at the very time every effort is being made to save every drop of water and ensure that it used in the right place at the right time. This ridiculous waste comes at a time when concerns are mounting about the fate of future generations if our water resources continue to be thrown away in this fashion.
We may not have to wait long before we hear of the people of Al-Badaie and their neighbors appealing to the authorities to provide them with drinking water since all their wells are dry. How can any one be proud of having more than 30,000 wells that are fast exhausting an already scarce commodity? And what about the unfairness of using that commodity to grow wheat and fodder at a time when many people in other parts of the country are desperate for a drop of clean water?
