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  • Cliff divers conquer Saudi Arabia’s rare fresh water supplies

    Catalin Preda from Romania and America’s David Colturi have become the first people to dive into the wadis of Saudi Arabia in a hike and dive experience through the rough and rugged natural landscape of Jazan province.
    Set against the unique backdrop of the Wadis Lajab and Al-Rough in the kingdom’s Jazan province, the Romanian American duo explored the canyons, deep valleys, waterfalls and freshwater ponds deep enough to host fish and some incredible cliff dives.

  • Where Water Stress Will Be Highest by 2050

    Water is not only the basis of life for animals and plants, but is also likely to become a contested resource in parts of the world in the coming decades. According to UN figures, global water stress, i.e. the proportion of water withdrawn for use in industry, agriculture or private households in relation to available water, was manageable at 18.2% in 2020. In 2022, however, 2.4 billion people were living in areas that are exposed to extreme water stress in some cases.

  • How Saudi Arabia is acting to stabilize and replenish its groundwater reserves

    Presently, the Kingdom relies on three basic sources for water extraction: Desalinated seawater, groundwater, and recycled water regularly used in electricity production. Saudi Arabia derives some of its water from the sea. This is done through the process of desalination, which involves transforming brackish seawater into potable water. The Kingdom is now officially the world’s largest producer of desalinated water.

  • Saudi Arabia’s enduring legacy: Safeguarding Zamzam water

    The late King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al-Saud initiated this dedication to Zamzam water in 1345 AH by ordering the construction of a sabil, a public drinking fountain. The following year, he commissioned a second sabil and oversaw the repair and covering of the Zamzam well itself. Successive Saudi monarchs have taken steps to preserve this water source.
    King Saud bin Abdulaziz implemented a pump for water extraction and a nearby distribution building. Following the first expansion of the circumambulation area in 1377 AH, the Zamzam well was placed beneath it, easing congestion for pilgrims.

  • A Saudi business is leaving Arizona valley after it was targeted by the state over groundwater use

    Arizona officials said a Saudi-owned company they targeted over its use of groundwater to grow forage crops is moving its farming operation out of a valley in the Southwestern state’s rural west. Gov. Katie Hobbs and the Arizona State Land Department announced late Thursday that Fondomonte Arizona is officially no longer pumping water in the Butler Valley groundwater basin. Some residents of La Paz County had complained that the company’s pumping was threatening their wells.

  • Water Challenges in the Emerging Hydrogen Economy

    Global shifts have revitalized the move toward hydrogen as an energy source. However, discussions often center on cost and technical barriers, neglecting critical questions regarding water as a feedstock in hydrogen production.

  • Israel Weighs Plan to Flood Gaza Tunnels With Seawater

    Israel has assembled a system of large pumps it could use to flood Hamas’s vast network of tunnels under the Gaza Strip with seawater, a tactic that could destroy the tunnels and drive the fighters from their underground refuge but also threaten Gaza’s water supply, U.S. officials said. The Israel Defense Forces finished assembling large seawater pumps roughly one mile north of the Al-Shati refugee camp around the middle of last month. Each of at least five pumps can draw water from the Mediterranean Sea and move thousands of cubic meters of water per hour into the tunnels, flooding them within weeks.

  • Jordan says it won’t sign energy and water exchange deal with Israel

    “We had a regional dialogue about regional projects. I think that all of this …, the war [has] proven, [it] will not proceed,” Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told Al Jazeera on Thursday, referring to the Israel-Hamas conflict. “We will not sign this agreement any longer. Can you imagine a Jordanian minister sitting next to an Israeli minister to sign a water and electricity agreement, all while Israel continues to kill children in Gaza?” asked the top diplomat of Jordan, which borders Israel to the east.

  • Saudi Aramco and NESR Announce Successful Implementation of Circular Water Technologies

    National Energy Services Reunited Corp. (NESR), an international provider of integrated energy services in the Middle East and North Africa, today recognized its successful, ongoing collaboration with Saudi Aramco in implementing a novel Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) technology for water management. This technology, invented and owned by Saudi Aramco, aims to enhance produced water treatment and establish circular water economies across the energy value chain.

  • Untouched waters: The Saudi Arabian destination promising scuba fans unparalleled diving

    The Red Sea’s confidence in the quality of its scuba diving locations isn’t unfounded. You only have to look across the water to Egypt’s shores to see some of the most popular diving resorts in the world. Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheik have long been lauded by divers as among some of the best areas on the planet, boasting multiple wrecks, colourful coral, curious geology and an outstanding abundance of marine life. As an untouched side of the Red Sea, there’s a lot of potential in Saudi Arabia. Plus, unlike some of Egypt’s more popular resorts, the Red Sea is planning to minimise divers’ impact on the reefs and exercise strict control over its use.