Riyadh’s Water Project to Irrigate 7.5 million Trees

‘Green Riyadh’ programme is one of the capital’s four megaprojects

As part of the ‘Green Riyadh’ programmeme, water network projects are being constructed to irrigate 7.5 million trees in Riyadh, with a length of 1,350 km to carry 1.7 million cubic meters of treated water daily, increasing its use for irrigation purposes by 100 per cent. The aim is to achieve sustainable green spaces for the Green Riyadh projects and other development projects in the city of Riyadh.

The primary network pipe’s diameters range from 1.2 meters to 2.4 meters in addition to secondary networks that reach all of Riyadh’s neighbourhoods. Construction works have begun using the latest technologies and practices to accelerate the works without affecting traffic in the city.

The best irrigation technologies being adopted include controlling and monitoring the water networks remotely, as it is one of the main enablers for achieving the objectives of Green Riyadh which is to build integrated water networks based on the principle of sustainability in irrigation using 100 per cent treated water, a confirmation of the programme’s commitment to using renewable resources.

A technical team composed of experts from government entities and the private sector has been formed, with the aim of expediting coordination work, overcoming obstacles, addressing issues related to the implementation of water networks for irrigation. In addition to linking programmes and plans between the concerned authorities in the implementation of public utilities, in coordination with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, and the Saudi Irrigation Organization and the National Water Company. The water networks that are being constructed by ‘Green Riyadh’ will serve many of Riyadh’s megaprojects, such as the projects of the Public Investment Fund, the Diriyah Gate Development Authority, the King Salman Park, the Sports Boulevard, and the King Abdulaziz Public Transport Project. 

Notably, the Green Riyadh programme, is one of Riyadh’s four megaprojects, launched by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, as an initiative of HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin AbdulAziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and aims to plant more than 7.5 million trees in Riyadh city, increasing the green coverage of Riyadh to 9.1 per cent, and increasing the per capita share of green spaces from 1.7 m2 to 28 m2 – 16 times its current level. It also aims to improve the urban environment of the city of Riyadh through the urban greening of residential neighbourhoods thereby supporting the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and the Saudi Green Initiative of planting 10 billion trees nationwide during the upcoming decades.