Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Ministry of Environment Water and Agriculture (MEWA) announced that the establishment of industrial lakes on farms for investment or recreational purposes is a violation of water regulations.

The regulations aim to conserve water resources, ensure their sustainability, rationalize their consumption and prevent future misuse.

The ministry found videos on social media platforms showing citizens violating water regulations.

In these videos, citizens were seen creating industrial lagoons on their farms, and these projects are wasteful of water and are being used outside of their licensed area.

The ministry stressed that it does not grant licenses to dig wells or lakes in a country whose non-renewable water resources are limited, whether they were created for industrial, recreational or investment purposes.

In addition, the ministry said that it would not hesitate to apply the regulations of the system on the owners of these projects and impose penalties and fines.

The penalties imposed could amount to withdrawing the license to use groundwater in the event of a repeat violation. This move is in order to preserve non-renewable water resources.

The ministry said that using treated water or recycled water for such projects are allowed after the approval of the competent authorities.