Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture is preparing to build new dams to serve different purposes in various regions of the Kingdom as part of a plan to increase investment opportunities for citizens and achieve sustainable development.

Mansour Abuethnain, director general of engineering and projects at the ministry, told Al-Eqtisadiah daily that a plan has been prepared to construct dams, which will provide drinking water at low cost and raise the level of well water to support agriculture, manufacturing and tourism.

He said the proposed dams would help provide fertile pasture for livestock, increase natural vegetation cover and ensure livelihood stability, in addition to resisting desertification and improving social and health conditions.

On projects to benefit from existing dams, Abuethnain said experience showed that they obviously achieved various objectives, including protection of lives and property in both rural and urban areas from flooding and the supply of drinking water at low prices, compared to desalinated water.

He said the dams contributed to feeding the underground layer of aquifers and also raising the level of well water to support agriculture, manufacturing industry, tourism and others.

According to previous statements by officials, the Ministry of Environment was preparing a comprehensive national strategy for food security. The strategy aims to achieve integrated food security by increasing local food production, capacity building and raising preparedness to address food safety risks.

The ministry was also in the process of designing an external agricultural investment model focusing on food security and adopting mechanisms for intra-GCC and international cooperation to ensure food security.

The comprehensive national strategy for food security has several objectives, the first of which is to achieve a sustainable local food production system for commodities with differential advantages.

This objective includes raising self-sufficiency rates, improving productivity, encouraging sustainable practices in local production, supporting small farmers and agricultural cooperatives, as well as supporting local development of strategic food products.