Desalination by the saline water conversion corporation of Saudi Arabia
✍ Scribed by H.E.GovernorAbdullahM. Al-Golaikah
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 1984
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 233 KB
- Volume
- 50
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0011-9164
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Throughout recorded history, the people of the Arabian Peninsula have depended primarily on rain for both their potable water and agricultural needs. Older conservation methods, such as small dams made of rocks and earth were used in suitable terrain, but elsewhere, most of the sparse rainfall either percolated into the ground to recharge shallow aquifers or was lost by evaporation. The shortage of water was one of the main influences on life on the peninsula, from the geographical distribution of the populace to its size and type of activity. In short, it affected and inhibited all aspects of life here. This was the situation at the time of the unification and the formation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by His Majesty, the late King Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Al-Saud, in 1925. Wishing to increase the prosperity of the Kingdom and provide for the welfare of the people, and realizing the importance of water in the economic and social development of the Kingdom, His Majesty appointed people to be responsible for the management of agriculture and water and directed them to pursue the exploration of underground water resources and to develop programs for the development, use and preservation of these resources. As early as 1928, King Abdulaziz demonstrated his concern about water supplies when he ordered that two distillation plants be imported to alleviate a serious water shortage in Jeddah, in his concern for the Hajj pilgrims as well as for the people of the city. As time went on, His Majesty became more deeply interested in the application of modem technology for the overall development of the Kingdom. For this purpose, in 1942, he brought in a group of U.S. technologists to do an overall survey of the Kingdom's resources and needs.
It was immediately obvious that there was a pressing need for more water in order to carry out the ambitious, progressive development plans for the Kingdom, and to provide for the expected population increase. The quan-