RIYADH — Recent developments in seawater desalination techniques and the possibility of using renewable energy sources to operate desalination plants have led the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA) to launch a project to study the use of desalinated seawater in agriculture.
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The project comes within the ministry’s efforts to find additional sources of water that support the growth of the agricultural sector and contribute to balancing agricultural development and water security.
Saudi Arabia ranks first worldwide in desalinated water production. It produces about 7.5 million cubic meters of desalinated water per day and is working to increase the daily production rate to reach 9 million cubic meters of water by 2025.
The project aims to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the economic, technical, and environmental feasibility of using desalinated seawater in agriculture and the feasibility of using desalinated seawater in agriculture based on the study results.
The ministry has prepared a framework that includes conducting a comprehensive reference study of global experiences in this field, the study included the economic, technical and environmental requirements set by countries to develop the use of desalinated water in agriculture, with the identification of agricultural areas, type of methods of cultivation and irrigation.