RIYADH: In an effort to conserve the Kingdom's dwindling water resources, the BMG Foundation has teamed up with advertising leader Saatchi & Saatchi to launch the "Our Water, Our Life" conservation initiative here Monday.
This is the first private sector initiative of its kind that will address the issue of sustainable water consumption at national and regional levels.
The Kingdom is currently the only country in the world that currently subsidizes more than 92 percent of the total cost of producing water.
Addressing a press conference on this occasion, Basil Al-Ghalayini, chairman of BMG Foundation, said the initiative is aimed at encouraging sustainable water consumption among people in Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries.
A website (www.ourwaterourlife.org), which covers all aspects of water conservation and management with special emphasis on Saudi Arabia, was launched on the occasion.
Participants at the launch ceremony were amazed to learn that flushing the toilet consumes about 30 percent of all water used on a daily basis.
The website says that access to water is one of the most daunting infrastructure and development challenges facing the Kingdom.
An expanding population that has soared from 3 million in 1950 to 26 million today continues to place enormous demands on this vital and limited resource.
"The current trends in water consumption in Saudi Arabia are unsustainable," said Al-Ghalayini, referring to the programs lined up for the future within the framework of this initiative.
He said there would be a series of events to encourage Saudi and Arab youths to participate in activities that encourage others to conserve water. High-profile activities include the GCC Polo Cup named after Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, he said.
"Among various CSR activities that we have been undertaking for the past 15 years, 'Our Water, Our Life' addresses the crucial issue of water preservation," he said.
In his speech, Managing Director of Saatchi & Saatchi Saudi Arabia Mazen Mehio said his company took pride in supporting the campaign.
"We are proud to be part of the 'Our Water, Our Life' campaign because it addresses the crucial issue of water conservation," said Faysal Alaquil, CPC director for business development and administration affairs.
"I want other companies to join the ongoing campaign by chipping in their support in whatever capacity that can create awareness among the youth about water conservation and protecting the environment."
To this end, Deputy General Manager of Abunayyan Group Fahad M.I. Abunayyan noted that the Saudi leadership and the concerned ministries are at the forefront of the water conservation drive in the Kingdom.
"However, there is a growing need for everyone to keep in mind that water conservation should be the top most priority in life," he added.
To meet its national demand, the Kingdom draws roughly 70 percent of its water from fossil aquifers, enormous underground pockets of water that would require millions of years to replenish.
Renewable water resources per capita are also dropping at an annual rate of 2 percent. In 2010, Saudi Arabia's per capita renewable water capacity is 240 cubic meters, only one quarter the global average, said a report published recently.
This problem will only compound as the population grows; by the end of the next decade, the World Bank forecasts the Kingdom's population at 31.6 million.
© Arab News 2011
