RIYADH, 2 July 2003 — Water shortages, which are not uncommon during the hot summer months, serve as effective reminders of the need to protect and better manage water resources in the Kingdom.
Conservation is an effective means of reducing consumption, but according to Dr. Yousef Al-Rumakhani at the Natural Resources and Environment Institute, conservation campaigns are still lacking in Saudi Arabia.
“There are no planned programs,” Dr. Al-Rumakhani told Arab News. “There are individual efforts, but nothing yet on a national scale.”
Local conservation efforts usually take the form of informative leaflets, books and brochures, he said, but these efforts fall short of a well-organized and effective conservation campaign. Such a campaign could encourage people to make more efficient use of limited water resources by increasing awareness of water problems and by presenting viable solutions.
According to a recent report on the Saudi water sector, 60 percent of the water produced by desalination plants is wasted through leakages in the system and inefficient use.
Domestic use accounts for about 85 percent of desalinated water consumption in the Kingdom.
Simple measures such as fixing leaky toilets and dripping faucets can help cut down domestic water use. In addition, appliances that take up large quantities of water, such as dishwashers and washing machines, should be run only when they are fully loaded to minimize water loss.
Large amounts of water are also wasted when people leave the tap running while busy with some other activity. Others may not close taps completely after use, resulting in persistent dripping from faucets. Even a few drops in each household can add up to several gallons of wasted water. Studies show that dripping faucets can waste about 2,000 gallons of water each year, whereas leaky toilets can waste as much as 200 gallons per day.
The Natural Resources and Environment Institute is involved in the development of new water saving devices that can help reduce water consumption. Water saving devices are especially designed to save water. Low-flush toilets, self-closing taps and aerators are examples of such devices.
“These devices are not in common use here in Saudi Arabia,” said Dr. Al-Rumakhani. There are only four or five types of water saving devices available locally, and these are not recommended because of their low quality, he said. “One reason is that there are not enough manufacturers for these devices here in the Kingdom,” he added.
In addition, most people are unaware of the benefits of using such devices, he said, adding there was a need for education and awareness.
Some homeowners waste water by over-watering their lawns or by watering lawns during the hottest part of the day when much of the water is likely to be lost through evaporation. It would be more efficient to water lawns during the cooler parts of the day such as in the early morning or at night.
Similarly, swimming pools should also be covered when the weather is hot to prevent water loss through evaporation. Studies show that swimming pool covers can cut water loss through evaporation by almost 90 percent.
When filling swimming pools, homeowners should also be careful to turn off the water when the pool is full and not to let the water overflow.
Leaks in the pool can also contribute to costly loss of water and should be repaired. An inch-a-day leak in a 15-by-30-foot pool, for instance, can waste approximately 102,000 gallons per year.
In regards to water wastage in domestic use, Dr. Al-Rumakhani said it was “difficult to implement regulations.”
He said in addition to water regulations, it was also important to educate homeowners about water waste and to present them with better and more efficient alternatives.
In some residential areas in Riyadh, it is not uncommon to find large pools of water standing on the street in front of some houses where the front-yards have recently been washed. A common practice is to use a high-pressured water-hose to clean out the front-yards of some houses rather than using a broom or a mop, which would be more efficient and could save several gallons of precious water from being carelessly thrown into the streets. In addition to the water wastage, standing pools of water are also breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other insects.
Consumption for housing and commercial use is only 10 percent of total water consumption while the remaining 85-90 percent is used for agricultural purposes.
Dr. Abdullatif Ibrahim Al-Mugrin, vice president of the Water Sciences and Technology Association, said a major portion of the country’s water supply went into agricultural use.
“The cultivation of certain crops with high water intake is part of the problem,” he added.
“More efforts are needed to improve water use in the agricultural sector,” Dr. Al-Mugrin told Arab News. “But this cannot be done unless we stop growing crops like wheat and alfalfa.”
Agricultural expansion over the past few decades has contributed to the water problem here. Other factors include inadequate rainfall and a growing population. With a scarcity of fresh water sources, desalinized seawater now provides 70 percent of the Kingdom’s drinking water.
Dr. Al-Rumakhani stressed the need for water education in schools and the need to inculcate good water habits from an early age. Incorporation of water issues in regular school curricula has proven to be an effective method of raising water awareness among the young in other parts of the world and may prove beneficial in this country too.
In addition to efforts in schools, conservation messages can also be incorporated into other health and environmental campaigns. This combination of campaign efforts would not only enable educators to reach a wider audience but would also highlight the importance of conserving water by placing the issue within the context of local cultural values and against a backdrop of larger issues.
