Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 08, 2025

World Bank lauds Saudi National Water Strategy, recommends other nations follow suit

World Bank lauds Saudi National Water Strategy, recommends other nations follow suit

As the world faces a severe water resource management crisis, Saudi Arabia has fared well in preserving the sector with the National Water Strategy, said a top official of the World Bank Group.
Speaking to Arab News at the Future Desalination International Conference in Riyadh, Saroj Kumar Jha, the global director of WBG’s water global practice, said that the world needs better water resource management, and the Kingdom is a good example to follow.

“I think the work that Saudi Arabia has done in putting together the institutional framework, the National Water Strategy and the Water Law are very good examples that other countries can follow,” Jha said.

Early this month, the Kingdom’s National Water Co. announced its plans to roll out 1,429 projects with a total value exceeding SR108 billion ($28.7 billion) as part of the National Water Strategy and Vision 2030 plans.

This initiative includes expanding the water and wastewater networks coverage and increasing the sewage treatment plant’s capacity, in addition to extending water services coverage to all citizens and residents across the Kingdom.

Jha stressed the importance of water management as it is essential for human life and significantly impacts the economy and climate change.

“Climate change has added another layer of complexity in terms of the risks for the water resources. We have more droughts, floods and extreme events happening,” he explained.

The World Bank is playing a considerable role in supporting developing countries to place appropriate policy frameworks, regulations and institutions to manage water resources more efficiently.

“We are a global institution in 200 countries. We work on broader development issues. Water is just one sector. But we also work on energy, poverty reduction, job creation, public health and education. So, we have a very diverse portfolio,” Jha said.

“In the water sector, we have a portfolio of about $60 billion projects in these countries. And as part of our engagement in these countries, we provide global expertise. We provide global knowledge. We help them to set up the right kind of policies and institutions. And we also provide financing to implement water resource management projects,” he added.

Jha said that the water desalination sector needs technological advancement to reduce the cost of water production and its effect on climate change.

“I think the cost of desalination and its environmental concerns need to be addressed adequately,” he added.

He believes this could be achieved by utilizing entrepreneurial talent and innovation through private investments and partnerships similar to what is happening in the Kingdom.

“I’m very impressed. And I want to see how we can export all these good practices from Saudi Arabia to other countries and that’s why I’m here,” Jha said.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
×