New law to ensure water conservation, fair prices in Saudi Arabia

RIYADH — Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Eng. Abdul Rahman Al-Fadhli said that the new water law aims to conserve, develop, and protect water sources as well as to ensure their sustainability and management. He emphasized that the law would guarantee the provision of high-quality water supply in a safe, clean and reliable manner to consumers at competitive prices.

The minister thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman following the issuance of a royal order to approve the water law. “This approval reflects the support of the wise leadership and its constant care for the water sector, environment and agriculture and the provision of all water services to citizens, within the framework of achieving the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. This law is one of the tools for implementing the National Water Strategy (NWS) previously approved by the Cabinet,” he pointed out.

Al-Fadhli said that the NWS works to integrate directives, policies, legislation, and practices in the water sector at the national level with the main goal of confronting the main challenges. “The new water law comes within a series of steps that the ministry is taking to conserve and develop water resources and work toward their sustainability in accordance with the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision.

The latest of these steps was the development of a unified reference frame for the water sector in the Kingdom that includes a comprehensive water strategy based on a careful assessment of the water situation and available water resources in the Kingdom and extrapolation of demand rates until 2030.

Eng. Al-Fadhli emphasized that the law will enhance the participation of the private sector in the activities subject to the law, and will promote effective governance and everyone’s access to clean and safe water conforming to approved standards, plans, and programs. It also ensures the provision of water supplies to the agricultural sector in a manner that guarantees the sustainability of this sector, the minister said while adding that the provisions of this law will be applied to all water sources in the Kingdom including special zones.