Saudi Arabia is rumored to be pumping millions of gallons of salt water, and it’s said they’re doing it all underground. Those rumors seem to be true. be true. The Middle Eastern country was once stuck in a constant water shortage crisis, but not anymore. However, why would they bury water underground when it’s so needed on the surface? We’re all aware that Saudi Arabia is in the desert, and it’s one of the driest countries in the world. Despite this hiccup, the country has done the seemingly impossible by creating an underground river system without having a single natural river. Crazy, right? Saudi Arabia has no natural freshwater sources, no lakes, and no rivers. But since 2021, the country has constructed 520 dams. In Saudi Arabia, such dams primarily store rainwater and floodwaters, which are then treated and distributed through various systems.
Collect and store the limited rainfall that does occur, primarily through wadis, dry riverbeds that temporarily fill with water after rare rainfalls. Given their rainfall map, it’s hard to say that several inches of rain would make a huge difference in the country’s water supply. But luckily, they can. At certain times, so much rain falls that it’s enough to supply entire cities with water. Saudi dams collect water from such seasonal floods and rare rainfall events. The dams are put in place because Saudi Arabia is so hot, and the water would evaporate immediately at the insane high temperatures if left to run on its own. Additionally, the total storage capacity of these dams is staggering: 650 billion gallons.
Similarly, there are many important dams in the country, including the Holly Dam. This dam is located about 14 kilometers east of Kayad in Makkah province. Constructed between 2003 and 2009, it ranks as the second-largest dam in the country, with an approximate height of 249. 86 million cubic meters in reservoir capacity. The dam helps with flood control, irrigation, local water supply, and groundwater recharge. In the Mecca area alone, Saudi Arabia has a crazy total of 60 dams with an overall capacity of 232 billion gallons of water. Despite being one of the driest countries on Earth, Saudi Arabia isn’t completely without water. Regardless of the dams in place, they can still provide a secondary water supply.
Saudi Arabia’s main water source comes not from underground rivers, but from underground lakes, or to be more precise, groundwater. Here’s the math. You can’t say that nature has denied Saudi Arabia the water that’s beneath the ground because it technically hasn’t. Geological surveys estimate that about 26 trillion gallons of water lie beneath the Saudi ground. That sounds like an enormous amount, and it is. But it’s not as good as it sounds. Only a small portion of this water is renewable, about 739 billion gallons per year. This renewable groundwater can be safely used without threatening future supply because it naturally replenishes itself through rainfall. However, the rest simply won’t, making it basically non-renewable—what scientists call fossil water: ancient water trapped underground for thousands, even millions of years.
Once fossilized, water is pumped out; it’s gone forever. It doesn’t refill because Saudi Arabia doesn’t get nearly enough rain to do that. This fossil water comes from a time when the Arabian Peninsula was much wetter, thousands of years ago. Back then, rain was more frequent, and rivers flowed across regions that are now desert. Over time, the rainwater seeped into the ground and collected in massive natural aquifers where it has remained ever since. Today, that same water is extracted by pumps and channeled to cities, farmlands, and homes. Groundwater may be a blessing, but it’s not a bottom. This one. It’s honestly a fragile lifeline. You might be thinking it’s not that bad. Well, for starters, Saudi Arabia consumes far more water than it can replenish naturally. The water doesn’t even come close to meeting the country’s needs.
Water is used not only for drinking and sanitation, but also for irrigation, industry, and even luxury purposes, like maintaining green parks and washing cars. The demand is huge, and yet the renewable portion—groundwater— is limited. What makes things worse is that rainfall in Saudi Arabia is scarce and very unpredictable. Some years, the rain might be a bit more generous. Other years, it barely arrives at all. There’s no guarantee of when the next refill will come, or if it will come at all. That means that relying on groundwater, especially non-renewable sources, is a gamble. It’s like spending from your savings account without any steady income. Eventually, you’ll hit zero. So, what happens if, or when, the water runs out? If extraction continues at unsustainable levels, the underground reserves may dry up, leaving Saudi Arabia with very limited water options, especially…
with their ever-growing population and increased water demand. Saudi Arabia also treats wastewater at specialized water treatment facilities. There are 99 of them across the country, and the total amount of treated and reused water in 2019 was 1. 3 billion gallons per day. It’s predicted that this number will grow by about 4% annually until 2050. But it still won’t be enough, because the country’s population is expected to increase as well. Faced with rapidly depleting groundwater, limited rainfall, and ever-growing demand for fresh water, Saudi engineers and planners had to think outside the box fast. Since nature didn’t give them rivers, they pulled off an incredible… feet and built their own. After all, with the Red Sea nearby, why not just pump water from it?
That’s what they thought somewhere in Riyadh, and then they decided to pump millions of gallons of water right under the desert sand. Of course, they didn’t create a natural river, but a vast pipeline system. An artificial waterway that moves water from the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf all across the country. You already know that rainfall in Saudi Arabia is erratic. Averaging only about 100 millimeters per year in many regions, the Saudi Water Authority, the government agency responsible for all water-related matters in the country, went on to build an artificial underground river in the form of a massive pipeline system. These pipes are approximately 8,700 miles stretched out end to end. Making it longer than the Nile River.
That’s mind-boggling because the Nile is the longest natural river on Earth, which measures about 4,135 miles. Saudi Arabia’s creation of an underground river, even the natural waterways, is one of the longest artificial water transport systems ever constructed. Unlike surface canals or ordinary water pipes, most of these pipelines lie underground, thereby helping prevent evaporation, which is critical in a desert climate where summer temperatures can reach 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius). Originally, Saudi Arabia’s water channels ran mostly along the surface. Now, the majority of these new waterways run underground. This helps preserve the water’s quality and shield it from heat and contamination. An additional benefit of the underground rail is that it maintains pressure and flow efficiency over long distances. Now, this isn’t Saudi Arabia’s only water network.
As of 2019, the total length of the existing National Water Supply Network was estimated to be about 78,200 miles. kilometers, much longer than the Red Sea Pipeline system. But there’s a noteworthy difference between the two. The network mentioned earlier is mostly composed of surface-level pipelines laid above ground or shallowly buried. As such, they are more exposed to harsh weather, high evaporation, and damage. The new red seawater pipeline system, by contrast, runs deep underground. It’s really an invisible river. It protects, pressurizes, and transports desalinated water across vast distances to inland cities and industrial zones. This massive system wasn’t built for show. It was built for survival, given the limited natural water sources. With growing urban centers like Riyadh, Jeddah, and Mecca, the kingdom finally got a secure and reliable method to retrieve water from the sea.
Without a doubt, we cannot forget the incredible feat the builders of Saudi Arabia’s underground river accomplished. Constructing Saudi Arabia’s underground river was a massive engineering achievement. While moving water from the Red Sea and Persian Gulf to inland cities, the engineers carved through the Hijaz mountains. They also used tunnel boring machines and controlled explosions to blast through rock layers. These rocks, composed of dense granite and limestone, offer significant resistance. The pipes themselves, some over two meters wide, were precisely laid to ensure stable pressure and avoid risking leaks or collapse. After clearing the mountain-filled land, the construction teams faced the extremely harsh Arabian desert. In countries like central Saudi Arabia, summer heat often exceeds 50 degrees Celsius, making daily operations extremely dangerous.
Workers adapted by building in early hours or overnight. But heat wasn’t the only challenge. Shifting dunes, dust storms, and the occasional flash flood increased the unpredictability of construction. Laying the pipelines underground minimizes evaporation and protects the system from weather-related damage, but it also requires deep trenching and soil stabilization. Now, you’ve probably been hearing about desalinated water in this video. The underground water channel pumps seawater. How would water from the Red Sea or the Gulf help the population if it’s salty? Desalination is the process of removing salt and other impurities from seawater to make it safe for human consumption, a very innovative water solution in countries with limited freshwater, especially those in the Middle of large bodies of saltwater, like Saudi Arabia.
Desalination plants solve the problem of seawater being drinkable by turning Red Sea or Gulf seawater into usable fresh water. However, desalination isn’t just a bed of roses. It has its downsides, too. While it makes saltwater fresh, it unfortunately requires a lot of energy. It’s also very expensive and poses environmental challenges on its own. Because it is highly energy-intensive, it consumes large amounts of electricity. Most of the time, from non-renewable sources. Therefore, it’s much more expensive than traditional water sources. It sometimes costs three to ten times more. Shocking, right? Additionally, desalination puts the environment at risk. A major concern is the disposal of brine, the highly concentrated saltwater byproduct, which can harm marine life if not properly managed.
Despite these factors, Saudi Arabia is still the world’s leading producer of desalinated water. In the 1980s, the country’s desalination infrastructure was minimal, but it began to invest seriously in the technology over the following decades. By 2011, about 30 desalination plants were operating along the country’s coastline. Fortunately, the number increased to 33 by 2023, and it rose further in 2024 to 43 desalination facilities. Progress. A noteworthy example is the Ross al-Qa’ir station. The station, located on the eastern coast, cost a staggering $ 7.2 billion to build. Even Guinness World Records credits the station as the world’s largest desalination plant. That amazing? Al-Kahir Station turns out 792 million gallons of fresh water every day. Simply put, it has enough to support millions of residents and industries.
The next three largest desalination plants in the world are located in the United Arab Emirates, underscoring the Gulf region’s continued leadership. Still, Saudi Arabia continues to dominate. With another major plant in the city of Jubail, it consistently produces around 211 million gallons every single day. When you carefully compare it with other nations, you’ll realize that Saudi Arabia’s progress in desalination is unmatched. Countries like Israel, Australia, and the UAE are taking big steps, but Saudi Arabia remains in the lead. Saudi Arabia’s greening initiative currently ranks among the most ambitious environmental restoration programs on the planet. What is it about? The country has decided to protect its land from desertification through this initiative. This initiative fundamentally reshapes Saudi Arabia’s landscape and future in the best possible way.
It protects 30% of the country’s land and involves planting a staggering 10 billion trees over the next few years. This immense effort brings back the trees and frees the land from the shackles of the desert. It transforms the land, making it fertile and life-sustaining. The most important goal of the initiative is to battle the far-reaching effects of the desert and generally reduce the amount of desert land that threatens ecosystems, agriculture, culture, and even communities. The plan involves greening approximately 184 million acres of land. Greening this amount of land will act as a natural barrier to desert expansion. while also making the soil more fertile and improving food security. But that’s not the only goal. More good news is that the plan also leads to better air quality in the heart of the city, where heat gets stuck in concrete and asphalt.
By having its inhabitants plant trees and create green spaces, Saudi Arabia reduces the potency of harmful airborne particles such as PM2.5 and PM10. Therefore, they negate the harmful particles that cause bad respiratory illnesses and other health concerns. Studies estimate that widespread tree planting can reduce PM2.5 levels by up to 20%, depending on local weather conditions. Moreover, with more trees, the temperature will drop by at least 3. 96 degrees Fahrenheit. That might sound like a small change, but remember that we’re talking about Saudi Arabia. The street temperature often hits 122 degrees Fahrenheit, so even this small drop is a lifesaver. In addition to the national plan, several regional greening initiatives are being launched. Cities like Riyadh and NEOM are incorporating green infrastructure into their urban designs. As of 2024, hundreds of millions of trees were planted, with Saudi Arabia ramping up the number each year. The target of 10 billion trees will take time; they’re steady progress. A significant number of land parcels, especially in vulnerable desert zones, are already green. Or are being protected through pilot projects. Saudi Arabia’s greening initiative is not just an environmental effort. It’s an identity transformation that reflects a shift toward sustainability for future generations. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
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