JEDDAH, 17 July — Saudi Arabia yesterday announced the setting up of a separate ministry for water in a major move to address the country’s growing water problem. The Council of Ministers, which approved the decision, said all water-related departments and agencies would be brought under the new ministry.
The Cabinet meeting, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd, specified the powers and objectives of the new ministry. Information Minister Dr. Fuad Al-Farsi said the ministry would work out a comprehensive national water plan and review the water tariff for all categories. The new ministry will also supervise and manage water facilities, conduct studies on water resources, set out a program to establish water and sewage networks in all parts of the country and suggest regulations for protecting the country’s water resources.
“It will also formulate effective mechanisms to collect water tariffs and promote private sector participation in the financing, implementation, operation and maintenance of water projects,” the minister said. Issuance of licenses for constructing wells and determination of their depths also come under the ministry’s jurisdiction.
Saudi Arabia has one of the world’s highest rates of water consumption with per capita use standing at 286 liters a day. It requires more than SR250 billion in investment for new water projects by the year 2020. Jeddah city alone needs SR60 billion in funds to meet its water requirements and expand its sewerage network.
The new ministry was recommended by a ministerial committee on administrative reforms chaired by Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation. All water-related agencies under the Agriculture and Water Ministry, the Municipal and Rural Affairs Ministry, the Water and Sewage Department and Aziziya Water Authority will come under the new ministry.
Al-Farsi said various technical committees would be set up for re-distribution of manpower, projects, studies, plans, installations and financial allocations between the ministry and the various water-related agencies. He said operation and maintenance employees at the water and sewage departments would continue to receive the same benefits.
The Cabinet decided that the Saline Water Conservation Corporation (SWCC), which presently runs 25 desalination plants on the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf, would remain an independent organization, adding that the water minister would be the chairman of its board.
“The word water will be removed from the present Ministry of Agriculture and Water,” Al-Farsi said, adding that the Cabinet had also decided to keep the Irrigation and Sewage Authority in Ahsa until studies are completed on its status. However, the authority’s affairs related to water will now fall under the ministry’s purview.
