From desert to oasis: Saudi Arabia is leading a global revolution in water treatment

From desert to oasis: Saudi Arabia is leading a global revolution in water treatment

Every year, Saudi Arabia's farmers use 21 cubic kilometres of water, pumped to the surface from the country's fossil aquifers, a non-renewable resource found deep underground.

This may sound like a lot, by comparison the country's households use up 3.5 cubic kilometres a year. Ethiopia's Gerd dam, currently under construction, could hold 74 cubic kilometres of water if fully filled, which will mainly be used for hydroelectric power generation.





Ten years ago, the view of desalination was that it was a rich Arab state solution.