About the Challenge and Resources to Expand Your Idea
Water is one of the most important pillars of economic and social development, as it is essential
for meeting human needs, managing the environment, and ensuring sustainable economic growth. Despite
its importance, the Kingdom faces significant challenges due to the unsustainable use of water
resources, as well as the limited, rapidly depleting non-renewable groundwater reserves. In the arid
climate, renewable water is scarce, and the high demand for water in the agricultural sector
exacerbates the Kingdom's water scarcity problem. Water and sanitation services in the urban sector
represent a high cost to the state, and service levels need to improve quality. The sector also
requires improved institutional conditions and governance mechanisms. To this end, the Ministry of
Environment, Water, and Agriculture has developed a unified reference framework for the water
sector, which includes a comprehensive water strategy that integrates national water sector trends,
policies, legislation, and practices, with the primary goal of addressing key challenges and
restructuring the sector. The work includes several elements, including stakeholder engagement and
an assessment of the current status of the sector across a range of dimensions, such as water
demand, water resources, sector operations, and enabling factors. It also identifies the nature and
extent of supply-demand gaps, as well as the sector's economics under various scenarios. This
opportunity will present solutions using emerging technologies, such as the Internet of Things and
artificial intelligence, to contribute to increasing the efficiency of desalination, reducing water
use in agriculture, sustainable development of groundwater and surface water resources, and
improving water quality (i.e., groundwater and surface water) using the data and information
provided.
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