RIYADH — The planet will be facing a 40% shortfall in water supply by 2030, unless nations dramatically improve the management of this precious resource. This is the unavoidable conclusion reached in the 2015 United Nations World Water Development Report, which was presented during the World Environment Day event held by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in partnership with the Ministry of Water and Electricity. The event also included a photography exhibition titled “Water for Life”, exhibiting the work of three Saudi photographers, who travelled throughout the Kingdom. The exhibition presented 23 images from different parts of the Kingdom such as Riyadh, Jazan, Farasan Island and Hail. The photographers who participated with their work are Khaled Zaroq, Awadh Al-Hamzani and Dhafer Al-Shehri. By exhibiting the work of the three photographers, UNDP Saudi Arabia is aiming to raise more awareness on water scarcity and the dangers and effects on the country, and how to contribute toward protecting the environment. Alongside, highlighting the challenges of climate change and biodiversity protection in the Kingdom. The World Environment Day (WED), the UN's principal vehicle to encourage worldwide awareness and action for the environment, is celebrated around the world on June 5 with a call to governments, communities and individuals to improve their consumption patterns. The Deputy Minister for Water, Dr. Mohammed Al-Saud, highlighted the importance of raising more awareness to preserve water. “We have come a long way in implementing the National Water Strategy. The price of desalinated water to the consumer has decreased compared with the cost of production,” he said. According to the National Water Strategy by the Ministry of Water and Electricity, the climatic conditions in Saudi Arabia are dominantly arid, rainfall is not only low but sporadic as well, rarely exceeding the 50-100 mm range of annual precipitation. As a result of these harsh climatic conditions, Saudi Arabia is probably the largest country in the world with no perennial rivers; but because of the geological history of its territory it has important groundwater resources. The UNDP Saudi Arabia has a capacity development project for Sustainable Development and Management of Water Resources with the Ministry of Water and Electricity. The project aims to strengthen the technical and organizational capacities of MOWE in sustainable development and management of the Kingdom's water resources.
