Administration of Environmental Studies |
Administration of
Water Resources Studies |
Administration of
Desert Natural Resources Studies |
Administration of
Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems
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Research in the Center is concentrated on means of supplying
water and reducing its scarcity, especially in the arid circumstances of the
Kingdom. The Center has ventured towards that end through a project planned to
harvest, collect and store rain water and runoff; by directing the water to flow
into deep subterranean ground water layers, or directing its course into deep
wells to feed deep underground water. The importance of these studies derives
from the fact that the sole source of surface water in the kingdom is rain, the
resulting flooding in the valleys and drainage networks
King Fahad's project for rainwater harvesting and storage in the Kingdom
The aim of the project is to utilize modern methods and technologies used in
collecting and harvesting floods and rainwater that are proved highly efficient
in countries whose climate conditions are similar to those in the Kingdom. Such
efficiency demonstrated itself in providing water for inhabitants of wilderness,
making it available for the livestock, and above all creating a plantation
environment which would minimize the environmental hardship and eventually
create more pasturelands and fun outlets. The project falls in two stages: 1)
Trial stage, 2) Implementing the project's techniques in different regions of
the Kingdom by utilizing two primary methods that are remarked in collecting and
harvesting rainwater and runoff.
a) Constructing an artificial huge excavations with the course of flood and
rainwater, that are flown into valleys, directed into them.
b) Digging wells deep in the beds of damps and in courses of valleys to feed the
subterranean water.
In the experimental stage, Durmah, Asherit Sudare were chosen as sites of the
excavations works. Three other sites for water confinement behind damps in Al-Ulb,
Hureimla, and Al-Hareeq have also been selected.