Nusa Dua, May 25, 2024 - Located in the heart of the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is the twelfth largest country in the world. With a gross domestic product (GDP) of USD 2.246 trillion and a per capita income of USD 68,000, Saudi Arabia is currently ranked 17th in the world in terms of economic power.

However, Saudi Arabia also faces many challenges in the water sector.

"We live in a very dense and dry region," said Saudi Arabia's Deputy Minister of Water, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulaziz Al Shaibani at a special session of the 10th World Water Forum entitled "The 11th World Water Forum: Action Now for A Better Tomorrow", at the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center (BNDCC), Nusa Dua, Bali, on Friday (5/24/2024).

To overcome this problem, Abdulaziz explained, Saudi Arabia has made a number of efforts to facilitate access to water, including through the National Water Strategy, which was launched in 2016. This strategy includes various efforts and measures that Saudi Arabia has undertaken to ensure that people have access to sufficient water.

As part of the National Water Strategy, Saudi Arabia has achieved real results through the use of desalination technology, a process that converts seawater into fresh water. "Currently, Saudi Arabia is the largest producer of desalinated water from seawater," he emphasized.

Saudi Arabia is also pursuing various other programs to develop water resources, such as rainwater harvesting and wastewater recycling.

Abdullah Al Zuwaid from the Saudi Water Authority (SWA) explained that Saudi Arabia's total desalinated water capacity will reach 13.3 million cubic meters per day by the end of 2024. This capacity will be generated by at least 43 water desalination plants in Saudi Arabia using the latest environmentally friendly technology and renewable energy.

"The technology we are using is one of the lowest energy consuming technologies in the world, only 2.27 kwh/m3 for a small desalination plant," he said.

During the meeting, both emphasized Saudi Arabia's willingness to co-host the 11th World Water Forum. They are willing to share their experiences and will invite participants to see first-hand how desalination technology works as a solution to the problem of access to clean water in the world. (Ni Komang Erviani/Ayu Sulistyowati)