The Saudi government said the national water strategy has achieved record results in line with the objectives of Vision 2030.

It succeeded in increasing the volume of strategic water storage by 60.2 percent, from 13.60 million cubic meters in 2016 to 21.80 million cubic meters.

The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture has installed 116,000 electronic meters, taking the total to 2.20 million.

The Ministry developed a unified water reference framework that includes a comprehensive strategy integrating trends, policies, legislation, and practices at the national level to face significant challenges and restructure the sector.

In a recent report, the Ministry confirmed that seven factors have contributed to achieving remarkable successes in the system compared to 2016.

The factors include the national water strategy, restructuring the sector, the new water system, integration of roles between partners, integrated management, innovative financing solutions, and the involvement of the private sector.

Desalinated water production increased 45.4 percent from 8.80 million to 12.80 million cubic meters per day, and the capacities of water transmission systems increased 63 percent, from 8.70 million in 2016 to 14.20 million cubic meters this year.

The water distribution networks were expanded from 113.480 thousand to 127.84 thousand kilometers, or 12.6 percent, to include various regions of the Kingdom.

The system raised the continuity rate of pumping drinking water by 96 percent, from 10.50 hours to 20.56 hours per day, and increased home connections by 25 percent, from about 2 million links to more than 2.50 million, to meet the increasing demand for services across the Kingdom.

The Ministry said that achieving water security in the Kingdom is a top priority that receives unlimited support from the Saudi government.

The report stated that the environment, water, and agriculture system is moving towards achieving comprehensive water security within strategies, plans, programs, and initiatives to achieve citizens’ well-being, prosperity, and sustainability for future generations.

It also aims to preserve natural resources, protect the environment, increase operational efficiency and coverage of water, promote sanitation and irrigation services, raise levels of desalinated water production, utilize renewable water, and develop sustainable infrastructure.