The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA) held a workshop today in Bisha on the Ministry's role in developing Bisha Governorate. The workshop was held under the auspices of Bisha Governor, Muhammad S. Sabra, and was attended by a constellation of MEWA experts and directors-general in Assir Region. The workshop discussed 7 worksheets, revolving around enterprises and parks, role of the Agricultural Development Fund in development, experience of the Irrigation and Drainage Authority in Al-Ahsa, reuse of treated wastewater in Bisha, and sustainability of the agricultural sector in the governorate.
The workshop started by enumerating the water projects approved to be established in Bisha Governorate, including the set of projects to be set up in Al-Wajeed to supply water to Bisha and Tathlith. For his part, Yazeed Al-Ayedh, director of Assir Water Authority, mentioned that the amount of raw water incoming to the water plant from Al-Wajeed wells is expected to be 40,000 m3/day in the first state. This amount is projected to rise to 80,000 m3/day in the future. That is to be added to 28,000 m3/day from Yedmah wells, brining the aggregate amount of available raw water to 68,000 m3/day, projected to increase in the future to 108,000 m3/day, which is the maximum capacity of the water plant after expansion.
Participants in the workshop discussed importance of developing the agricultural sector in Bisha Governorate, as well as the projects planned to be carried out under the Saudi Vision 2030. As the workshop drew to a close, the attendees raised questions regarding the water, environmental and agricultural sectors, to which the MEWA working team provided apt answers.
For his part, the Governor of Bisha, Muhammad S. Sabra, underscored the importance of this workshop, which covered a myriad of specific projects with particular importance to the governorate. He affirmed that such workshops enhances transparency, and increases the citizen's confidence in the government agencies. At the end, he stressed the importance of carrying out Al-Wajeed projects to deliver desalinated water to the Bisha people.