Non-renewable groundwater resources: a ... - unesdoc - Unesco

CHAPTER 5 ■ REGIONAL CASESImpacts of intensive use of groundwaterand adopted measuresIn Saudi Arabia, groundwater use has been supervised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Water.The management goal has been oriented towards recovery of the aquifer or an orderly use ofaquifer reserves, minimizing quality deterioration, maximizing groundwater productivity andpromoting social transition to a less water-dependent economy. The government has establishedregulations for the proper use of water resources and for the protection of groundwaterresources. Considering factors related to regional water needs and human and economic conditionstogether with the availability of water, these regulations include:● requirement of special permits from the Ministry for well drilling including site, aquifer,depth, design, development and production,● supervision of well drilling and development by the Ministry,● control of the purposes of water use by the Ministry,● prohibiting well drilling in over-pumped areas or in aquifers which suffer from water leveldeclines and quality degradation, and● the right to establish water protected zones for special uses such as for domestic purposes.The above policies have been implemented to various levels of success in different regions dueto different reasons especially organizational factors, and fragmentation and overlapping ofresponsibilities among several agencies before the establishment of the Ministry of Water in2001. The result is shown in Figure 2.Figure 2Growth in consumption of non-renewable and renewable groundwater resourcesin Saudi Arabia during 1980–200065