Characterizing the Sustainable Water Management (SWM) in the KSA: A Reference to a Case Study about Ghatafan for Water Solutions and Practices in the KSA

Abstract

This study aims to explore water Sustainability Management (SWM) practices that can be adopted to enhance Water Sustainability in the KSA. Furthermore, this research aims to explore the water management practices of Water Company, Namely “Ghatafan for Water Solutions”. This company will be used as a case study to suggest better practices for Ghatafan as well as for other companies. As Saudi Arabia is among the driest regions in the world, it is, therefore, essential to study the current situation that is prevalent in the country regarding water availability and its use. At the moment, the biggest source of water, which is also reducing in volume with every passing day, is the natural aquifers in the kingdom. Currently, the agriculture sector is the biggest consumer of freshwater. The literature suggests that despite modern technologies’ availability, the water efficiency in the agriculture sector is low, as 2-3 times more water is used than is required. From the literature, some practices were identified as being in place, like drip irrigation, sprinkling, focusing on water quality, water desalination, awareness campaigns, water recycling, and using wastewater for irrigation. The primary methodology employed for data collection was an online survey facilitated by the Qualtrics platform. The measures mentioned above, along with others, were made part of the questionnaire, and a survey was conducted among the employees of the Ghatafan, as they are in an ideal position because of their expertise in water-related solutions and management. The current situation of practices and different factors have been analyzed in this study. Furthermore, best practices that can be adopted in Saudi Arabia have been suggested. To reach the results, the quantitative data analysis methodology has been used. The findings suggest that there are a few practices which are in place but there is much more room for adopting those practices in a holistic manner and adopting the new practices which are not in place. The main conclusion is that Wastewater recycling, use of artificial intelligence (AI) in agriculture, improvement in training and support, regulatory compliance, increase in the price of water, community engagement and education, reduction of water use in the agriculture sector, and improvement of the water quality are the best Sustainable Water Management (SWM) practices for the KSA. It has also been concluded that lack of awareness, technical skills, and community engagement are some areas that need to improve quickly in order to manage the critical water resources of Saudi Arabia Sustainably. The current role of Ghatafan and the future role of Ghatafan have also been discussed as leaders in SWM practices. Recommendations include leveraging machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) in operations, coupled with increased investment in research and development (R&D).