I.

Introduction

Currently, the main environmental challenges facing the Saudi Arabian kingdom include the lack of
permanent water bodies, desertification, as well as the ever-increasing depletion of underground water.
Resultantly, the government has been forced to create desalination plants for reclaiming seawater and
blackish water. Realistically, water resources come in four types including the desalinated water from the
electric desalination plants, surface water, reclaimed wastewater, and the groundwater in aquifers. The
harsh climate in the kingdom make water resources a valuable commodity. According to Abdulrazzak &
Khan (2009), Saudi Arabia is regarded as the biggest arid nation with the Middle East. As such, the
country is renowned for having limited sources of water for satisfying the ever-increasing demand for
water. Therefore, this paper aims at exploring the positions that fall under the positions namely the
reduction/conservation of water versus the methods applicable for increasing the supply of water.
II.

Description of More than One Side of the Issue

Over the years, most parts of the world have struggled to align the demand for clean water with the
supply for this valuable resource. When considering Saudi Arabia, reports claim that factors such as high
evaporation and low precipitation rates have continually limited the volume of the surface water.
Meanwhile, it is important to reiterate that perennial lakes, rivers, and streams are absent from Saudi
Arabias vicinity. Additionally, the annual rainfall in the nation has annually remained very low yet the rate
of evaporation has been on the rise over the years. Rainfall has always been irregular, to say the least. In
this case, the rainfall in the country is very high while it falls beyond the accountable levels in other times
of the year. Precipitation is known to happen between November and April thereby leaving the country hot
and dry for the rest of the year. Hence, no one can dispute the fact that the country is facing a steadily
rising demand for clean water yet the available sources are both unreliable and inadequate.
Hence, governments must take several steps if their countries are to avoid reaching the undesirable
status that Saudi Arabia finds itself in today. However, the main problem is that the scholars,
academicians, politicians, and even environmental activists are yet to agree on the best way forward. In
this case, we are referring to the fact that the people or rather groups mentioned above are divided into
two diverse groups. On one hand, there are those who believe that the best way to address the water
crisis is by conserving and reducing the current rate associated with the usage of water in all parts of the
world. On the other hand, there are people who believe that the only way to solve the water crisis is by
increasing the supply of water. Hence, the water crisis in places such as Saudi Arabia, U.S.A, and other
parts of the world has and still is forming a heated debate in the public domain.
Firstly, the proponents of conserving water and reducing the rate of usage offer several assertions to
support their desired course of action. Primarily, they argue that the federal, state, and local governments
must not only focus on developing water supply, but also devise a way of promoting demand
management throughout all corners of the nation (World Bank, 2010). The aim of such a directive would

be to discourage and eliminate wasteful and inefficient uses of water bodies at this time where most
resources are nonrenewable. Every person must be willing to cut his or her use of water to the lowest
mark possible. In recent years, some governments have opted to follow the strategy of cutting the usage
of water in areas or fields that are associated with high consumption levels.
In this case, the governments supporting water usage reduction strategies often focus on regulating water
usage, particularly when it comes to industrial usage. Countries such as China are wiser than others
when it comes to cutting industrial water usage. For example, China has established water-consuming
businesses in foreign countries. Research shows that a prestigious Chinese company bought the largest
pork producer in America in 2013. The company is now acquiring American-raised pigs, slaughtering
them, and exporting pork to China. The point of concern is that China has cut its water usage and
transferred that to the United States. It is a strategy of exporting American water using meat, corn, nuts,
and soy (Beckett, 1993). According to specialists, the reduction in the use of water should be supported
by conservation of water resources in our backyards.
Here, everyone must know that the conservation of water denotes the process of reducing the amount of
this valuable commodity currently being used by humans aiming at enabling us to consume the existing
stores in a slower rate. The human activities that could be used to conserve the water stores in our
backyards include the showers, irrigation, toilet flushes, washing, as well as drinking. Some government
arms realize that their residents are bound to suffer unless those with authority begin taking action against
the above human undertakings if they feel that they constitute wasteful activities. For example, California
is now threatening restaurants with fines if any of them is caught serving drinking water to the customers.
The only exemption is when a customer requests to be served with drinking water.
Comparatively, there are persons devoted to pursuing ways that will increase the supply of water in
different parts of the world hoping that they will find an amicable solution to the water crisis. Protagonists
of this course of action support water harvesting as the main solution for the water crisis. The rainwater is
captured using hard surfaces and directed to storage containers or devices for later use. For example,
Saudi Arabia has been developing the channels for capturing the rainwater. Harvesting of rainwater
should be reinforced by the construction of macro and micro-dams that can store water for later use. For
instance, the government of Saudi Arabia has constructed various dams including Najran, Assir AlMadinah, WadiBisha, Riyadh, Wadi Fatima, Mekkah, and WadiJizan over the years.
These dams collect water in millions of cubical meters with the government distributing it across the
kingdom for different purposes including irrigation, drinking, recharge, as well as control projects (AlZahrani, 2009). Similarly, supporters of increasing water supply offer the reclaiming of water that has
been used for other purposes and treating it as an alternative solution. posits that treated wastewater is
left clean and available to be reused for appropriate purposes. For instance, gray water from the washing
machines and the showers may be reclaimed and treated before being used for irrigating gardens as well

as landscaping activities. Note that water may be reclaimed by the governments, groups, and individuals.
Currently, reclaimed water is used in sanitary systems equipped with flush toilets.
Meanwhile, the desalination of brackish water, seawater, and wastewater must be done using renewable
sources of energy to avoid counterproductive ramifications in the future. The country must also invest
heavily on suitable and applicable water treatment technologies so that the water management agency
can take advantage of the industrial wastewater that habitually contain heavy metals. Treated wastewater
could be used for irrigation processes thereby leaving the available clean water for human use only. AlZahrani & Baig, (2011) reminds us that substantial volumes of water are lost through leakage. For this
reason, water management companies must take the responsibility of reducing leakages to acceptable
levels through proper maintenance of the existing distribution networks.
III.

Personal Position

Personally, there is no denying that the current usage of clean water in the United States of America and
other parts of the world is unsustainable and a characteristic of overconsumption. Similarly, there are no
doubts that it is a trend causing irreparable damage to the environment. For instance, the
overconsumption will soon lead to the depletion of water reserves leaving people struggling to obtain
clean drinking water as rivers, wells, and lakes dry up. It is an environmental concern that brings knock on
effects in different areas including the supply of drinking water. Eventually, the production of human food
through plants, timber via the forests, and animal food through the grass will inevitably be affected
adversely. Hence, increasing the supply of water will only encourage humans to continue with this harmful
trend in future. Comparatively, managing the demand for water through reducing the usage rate and
conserving the available resources must be observed if humans are to guarantee sustainability in future.
IV.

Discussion of the Personal Position

Countries such as Saudi Arabia have long depended on the ground water despite the fact that science
has proved the strategy to be unsustainable. In particular, scientists argue that the increased use of
groundwater is unsustainable on the basis that underground reservoirs receive limited natural recharge. It
is for this reason that underground water is being classified under the nonrenewable or fossil water in
recent times. Meanwhile, the current water-harvesting structures require thorough assessment through
analytical and hydrological studies aimed at determining the sediment composition within the water.
Additionally, research shows that most ways of increasing the supply of water in different parts of the
world are mostly associated with the deterioration of the quality of the water. For example, the depletion
and deterioration of the quality in the Saudi Arabian Kingdom is associated with ground water resources is

attributed to the mining operations as the government and the private sector try to recover water from the
ground (Bremere, Kennedy, Stikker, & Schippers, 2001).
Overharvesting of the underground water means that the water left will fall to levels that can never be
recovered with the little rainfall that the country will be lucky to get. Additionally, the harvesting of water
from the underground, its pumping, as well as the subsequent cleaning process require energy to
succeed. Experts claim that the water industry ranks amongst the most energy intensive fields in most
parts of the globe (Wescoat & White, 2003). Currently, a large proportion of the energy used in the above
processes comes from fossil fuels. Fossil fuels may be depleted over time thereby damaging the natural
resources. More so, the use of fossil fuels mean that the water treatment processes are emitting
monumental volumes of greenhouse gases thereby contributing to the already unacceptable level of
climate change. Global climate change has become one of the most undesirable effects of human activity
in recent times. Therefore, human beings must be willing to eliminate any unacceptable behavior or
activity that adds to the above misery without any doubt.
It is no secret that the groundwater mining operations cannot continue for long. It is for this reason that
the Saudi Arabian government is resorting to other alternatives to satisfy the soaring demands of water.
For example, the government has prioritized the desalination of the seawater because it offers the only
inexhaustible water source within or near the country. Nonetheless, the drawback to the desalination
process is that the water comes with a high degree of salinity. The federal government is aware of the fact
that it can take advantage of the expert engineers in the purification of the brackish water. The desolation
systems in the country may be benefiting from technological interventions and advancements in the
Middle East region at this time. However, claims that even the technological advancements in the world
will struggle to keep the supply of clean water stable in the future.
Consequently, the current scenario surrounding the demand for water and the subsequent supply in
Saudi Arabia poses serious issues as well as concerns regarding the nations water balance. It is a similar
story when one tries to consider the qualitative deterioration of the available water sources given that the
citizens are fully dependent on the fixed systems of water supply. The large-scale development within the
borders of the Saudi Arabia Kingdom cannot go ahead as needed if the country fails in its quest to

desalinate the seawater and the brackish water. Likewise, the long-term development of the country
depends on the ability of the government to pump fossil groundwater. Hence, Ezcurra (2006) suggests
that it is evident that the economic progress of the Saudi Arabian kingdom is hanging on a thread.
Remember that the population of Saudi Arabia is expected to continue rising thereby pushing the water
supply to the utmost limit.
With the above understanding, it is harmless to state that the methods for increasing the supply of water
in the Saudi Arabian Kingdom or in other parts of the world are all counteractive to the planet in one way
or another. Some of them are energy consuming while others are prone to deteriorating the quality of
water. Similarly, the act of mining water from underground will soon be impossible given that the water
reservoirs located deep there are no longer receiving adequate enrichment or re-energized. Therefore,
the best course of actions seems to come in the form of managing the demand for water in our homes,
offices, farms, as well as in any other private or public domain.
The advantages of water conservation and reduction of usage rate include avoiding mandatory rationing
that is painful and uneconomical. Additionally, these undertakings eliminate the need for expensive
installation of water treatment plants and upgrades to the water production facilities. Undesirable
environmental impacts are also eliminated while the reserves are kept safe to furnish future deficits.
Meanwhile, federal, state, and local governments must initiate a campaign where they will educate the
members of the public regarding the impending danger if the current trend continues. Citizens must
realize that this is an individual responsibility as opposed to a governmental one. Therefore, everyone
must play a part in the reduction of demand as well as conservation of the available water resources.
V.

Questions Arising from the Research

The primary point of concern is how the overconsumption of water in the world will affect the environment
in both the short and long run. On one hand, we may assume that the current decrease in water supply
constitutes a temporary wave or tide that will soon pass. If correct, the water scarcity in different parts of
the world will be over with time as has been the case in the past. Thus, the impact of water
overconsumption is negligible given that the rains and the underground water will compensate for the loss
in water supply. Comparatively, we may view the current level of water scarcity as being unsustainable

now and in future. Hence, scientists must study whether the current rate of water usage is affecting the
environment or even endangering the human race.
VI.

Summary Statement

Arid and semi-arid countries such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are increasingly facing severe water
shortage. Resultantly, such countries are implementing unsustainable practices such a heavy
dependence on high-energy solutions as well as the harvesting of underground water as they try to
increase the supply of water. The outcomes of these actions include the deprivation of in-stream flows
thereby heightening the magnitude of water problems in the future. However, it is the high time that
countries and cities facing water shortages shift their attention towards the conservation or reduction of
water usage. According to Hadadin, Qaqish, Akawwi, & Bdour (2010), such an undertaking would ensure
that the countries cope with the tradeoffs, interconnectivities, and feedbacks found in their urban resource
systems. Likewise, this strategy would empower the water management systems in the countries to deal
with the uncertainties surrounding climate change now and in future.

References
Wescoat, J. L., & White, G. F. (2003). Water for Life: Water Management and Environmental
Policy (1st ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.