Saudi Gazette report
ROME — Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Alfadley affirmed that Saudi Arabia is moving ahead with major global initiatives, particularly the Global Water Organization, to bring countries together to find solutions to the global water crisis. This effort will also focus on connecting critical sectors like farming, energy, health, and the environment, while making sure that the private sector is involved.
Alfadley made these remarks while addressing the Rome Water Dialogue, which is part of the World Food Forum, organized by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) from October 10 to 17, coinciding with the FAO's 80th anniversary celebration.
Alfadley highlighted Saudi Arabia’s position as a global leader in water. He noted that Saudi Arabia is the world's largest producer of desalinated water, with a daily capacity that exceeds 16 million cubic meters. “Thanks to major investments in research and innovation, they have managed to cut the energy needed for desalination by nearly 50 percent and achieve the world's lowest production costs. This massive volume is delivered through a monumental infrastructure, with pipelines running over 19,000 kilometers and reaching heights of 3,000 meters, covering more than 82 percent of all populated areas,” he said.
“Domestically, the nation is aggressively pursuing its Vision 2030 goals. A total of 25 contracts with private partners for desalination, transport, and reuse projects have attracted investments exceeding SR104 billion. Long-term targets include cutting water production costs by 50 percent and reducing non-renewable groundwater use by a massive 90 percent by 2035,” he said.
Alfadley also highlighted the success of the National Water Strategy, which has already pushed the country’s Integrated Water Resources Management Index from 57 percent to 83 percent—a rate so rapid the UN chose Saudi Arabia as a model for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6.
The strategy has saved 8 billion cubic meters of non-renewable agricultural water annually and increased renewable water use by over 1 billion cubic meters through initiatives such as the construction of 1,000 dams. Furthermore, a cloud seeding program launched 711 missions, generating an estimated 6.4 billion cubic meters of rainfall.
Economically, the country's farm sector is thriving: agriculture's GDP jumped from SR85.1 billion in 2020 to SR117.9 billion in 2024, marking an 8.5 percentcompound annual growth rate.
Globally, Riyadh is set to host the 11th World Water Forum in 2027 and has contributed $6 billion in aid to international water projects. Saudi Arabia also initiated the G20 Dialogue on Water in 2020 during its presidency and launched a new international water research center during the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) held in Riyadh last year.