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Preparatory Environmental Study Report
1. Title of the Cooperation Project and Names of Project Proponent
Title of the Cooperation Project: The Study on Mater Plan on Renewable Water Resources
Development in the South West Region in the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia
Project Proponent : Ministry of Water and Electricity (MOWE)
Main responsible Agency : Deputy Minister for Water Affaires, MOWE
2. Outline of the Project
(1) Background and Location of the Project
Saudi Arabia is a desert country with the mean annual rainfall of less than 100mm. More than 80%
of water is used for agriculture. The water resources mainly rely on non-renewable deep
groundwater (57% of the total use). The desalinated water (4%) is also a major source as it is used
only for domestic/drinking water. The government has a policy not to develop non-renewable
groundwater any more. In addition, the desalinated water is more or less costly. So it is necessary for
the country to develop alternative water resources. The south-west region is the only area, with
comparatively high mountains, where annual rainfall is over 500mm.
The Saudi Arabian government requested the Japanese government to carry out the study on water
resources development and management in the south-west region (five provinces; Makkah, Al Bahah,
Asir, Jizan, and Najran), with priority consideration on the development of renewable surface water
and shallow ground water. JICA dispatched a preparatory study mission to see the actual conditions
and discussed with the Ministry of Water and Electricity (MOWE) on the scope of work for the
Study. As of February in 2007, the JICA study on master plan is scheduled to start in mid. 2007.
(2) Present Conditions of the Study Area
① Water Supply and Sewage Facilities/Services
The water supply and sewage facilities in Saudi Arabia are developed well in Riyadh, the capital city.
But, in the other regions including the Study area, the diffusion rate of these facilities is relatively
low. And the rate of unaccounted for water including the leakage loss is high in most water supply
system and it is estimated at 20-30% in general.
The actual conditions of water supply and sewage are different by provinces, but the general
conditions in the Study area are described as follows:
• The water supply system is mostly poor at present. Only some cities have its water supply
1
pipeline networks in some limited districts. The main water supply relies on water-tank
trucks in most districts.
• There are three kinds of water sources for the water supply. The locations of surface water
sources are limited as only some dam-reservoirs impound in the dry season. The
groundwater sources with wells are common in most districts and provinces. The
desalinated water is well used in the Study area, except Najiran province, for
domestic/drinking purpose.
• There are sewage systems only in a few cities at present.
• In every province, some water supply and/or sewage facilities are under construction at
present or to be constructed in the near future.
② Agriculture and Irrigation Facilities
The general conditions of agriculture and irrigation are as follows:
• There is only one comparatively large irrigation project in the Study area. The irrigation
project in Jizan province has a dam with impounding water for irrigation and the
irrigation area with canals and control structures. But, the system is not well used at
present.
• There are many private small scale irrigation systems with water source from wells.
• The government has been nurturing the development of agriculture by providing
subsidiary aids.
• There are no newly proposed irrigation schemes by the government.
③ Meteorological and Hydrological Monitoring
Meteorological monitoring
・ There are some meteorological observatories and/or rainfall stations in every province,
which are under management of MOWE. The records are collected at the MOWE head
office and compiled in the database.
・ There are the other synthetic 28 meteorological observatories with automatic recorders,
which may be under management of PME. Six of them are located within the Study area.
・ The observation and facility management by MOWE is generally subcontracted to private
companies; however there are also some provincial offices or staffs of MOWE in charge
of meteorological and hydrological monitoring.
・ The records are periodically sent to the MOWE head office. The consumables and spare
parts are sent to the sites from the head office in general.
・ In addition, some researches or studies of a project base established monitoring facilities
for respective purposes.
Hydrological monitoring
2
・ There were some runoff-gauging stations with automatic recorders in every province in the
Study area, before nearly 20 years ago. However, all the stations are abandoned due to
flush-out during flood, vandalism, thief, and/or poor maintenance/repair.
・ There are no runoff-gauging stations with automatic recorders at present.
・ There are some new staff gauge stations which are established mostly within recent some
years.
Groundwater monitoring
・ According to the information from MOWE, there are 11 wells in Makkah province, 9 wells
in Jizan province, 9 wells in Najran province, respectively for observation purpose. There
are no observation wells in Asir and Al Baha provinces.
・ In general, only the groundwater level is measured, but electric conductivity is also
measured in Jizan province.
・ SGS(Jeddah)office also carries out groundwater monitoring in some areas near Makkah
City.
Water Quality monitoring
・ MOWE prepared water/soil quality standards with the management regulations in 2006 for
domestic/drinking water, effluent from sewerage treatment plant (STP), and soil for
agricultural uses.
・ The PME office also has water quality standards for effluent to public water bodies and to
drainage pipelines/channels.
・ There is water quality laboratory (or laboratories) in every province. The water quality
monitoring is carried out for domestic water (water supply network, water trucks, etc.),
water sources, and effluent from STP.
④ Surface Water Resources Development
Existing dams
Dam is the major surface water development structure. There are approximately 230 dams in the
country at present. The summary of existing dams as of 2004 is shown in the following table:
Summary of dam numbers and reservoir volume in each province (2004)
Province Main purpose Total Reservoir
3
Domestic
water
Flood
control
Recharge Irrigation number volume
Million m3
Asir* 14 16 34 64 378.1
Makkah* 2 3 20 25 108.0
Jizan* 1 1 1 3 51.4
Najran* 3 3 6 88.2
Al Baha* 1 3 21 1 26 31.2
Riyadh 18 42 60 80.4
Medina 6 10 16 80.7
Qassim 1 2 3 3.1
Hail 3 4 17 9.3
Jouf 3 3 5.2
Total 18 57 146 2 223 835.6
(Note:Provinces without dams are not shown. Provinces with * are located in the Study area)
The following points are found from the table above:
・ Number of dams in the Study area is 124 in total, which is 56% of those in the whole
country.
・ Asir province is the No.1 province in numbers as well as reservoir volume.
・ The total reservoir volume in the Study area is 656.9 Million m3, which is 79% of that
in the whole country.
・ More than half of existing dams have the main purpose of recharge and the second one
is flood control, then the third one is domestic water use. There are only two dams
with the main purpose of irrigation. But, it is noted that many dams have actually
multi-purposes.
Although it is not shown in the table, there are two existing underground dams, which are located in
Makkah province.
Dams under construction and planning
In recent some years, many dam projects started suddenly after nearly 20 years period without
remarkable development, mainly due to economic recovery. The dams under construction and/or
planning in the Study area are summarized in the following table:
Number of Dams under construction or planning in the Study area
Province Existing dam Under construction/ Total
4
Planning
Asir 64 70 134
Najran 6 12 18
Jizan 3 13 16
Makkah 25 15 40
Al Baha 26 18 44
Total 124 128 252
It is more or less surprise that the number of new (under construction/planning) dams will be more
than that of existing dams. There are several underground dams included in the number of new
dams.
Shallow Wells
There are a lot of shallow wells in every province. Most wells are located in wadi bed or low lands.
Some wadis have many wells in a group, which is developed as a project. The number of wells
varies from 10 to 80 in general and the depth varies 10 to 40m in general at each wadi. The
pumping and pipeline facilities are connected to each well. The water pumped up from wells is sent
to towns, villages, or water injection facilities to water-tank trucks, but through storage tank,
distribution reservoir, or purification plant, according to the individual conditions of water uses and
locations.
⑤ Deep Ground Water Development
The deep groundwater is the major water source in Saudi Arabia. The groundwater is generally used
for agriculture/irrigation.
There are nearly 100 thousands wells registered in MOWE. But, it is informed that there are also
many wells, which are not registered yet. Majority of wells are private uses and agricultural uses.
There is no reliable detailed information for wells in the Study area.
Although the non-renewable deep ground water is the major water source for the country, the uses of
water from deep groundwater are not common in the Study area, except very limited locations, due
to hydro-geological formation in the south-west region.
⑥ Desalination Plants and Reclaimed Water Use
Desalination Plant Development
5
Saudi Arabia has history of desalination water development since 1928. The Saline Water
Conversion Corporation(SWCC)is the national monopoly and has 30 plants (at 15 locations) in the
country in 2005. The desalination plants are mostly located together with power plants, of which
power is used for the desalination process and the extra power is sold to Saudi Electricity Company
(SEC). The list of desalination plants in the Study area is shown in the following table. All the
plants are located in front of the Red Sea.
SWCC Desalination Plants in the Study Area
Name of Plant Capacity
(m3/day)
Power
(MW)
Ⅱ 37,916
Ⅲ 75,987
Ⅳ 190,555
RO. 1 48,848
Jeddah
RO. 2 48,848
771
Ⅰ 191,780Al Shoaibah
Ⅱ 390,909
497
Al Shuqaig Ⅰ 83,432 62
Al Birk Ⅰ 1,952 -
Ⅰ 430Farasan
Trans. 1 1,075
-
Total 1,071,732 1,330
These plants generally use Multi-stage Bush evaporation process (MSF), of which energy efficiency
is relatively low. There are only two plants in Jeddah with Reverse osmosis membrane process (RO),
of which efficiency is higher. The cost performance of recent desalination plant has been improving ,
especially for large facilities, of which production cost (without transmission cost) is approximately
1 SR /m3.
The locations and the supply volume from desalination plants in 2005 are summarized in the
following table:
Supply and Volume of Desalinated Water(2005)
Location to be supplied Supply volume
6
(MCM/year)
Jeddah 225.0
Mekkah 92.6
Taif 40.0
Abha 11.1
Khamis Mushiyt 10.8
Ahud Rufidha 3.4
Al Birk 0.6
Farasan 0.5
Total 384.0
There are the following two new plants to be constructed:
Desalination Plant to be constructed
Name Production
Capacity
(m3/day)
Power
(MW)
Al Shoaibah Ⅲ 880,000 900
Al Shuqaig Ⅱ 212,000 900
The Al Shoaibah Ⅲ will supply water to Taif and Al Baha and the Al Shuqaig Ⅱ to Jizan, and Ahud
Al Masarihah(Asir).
Reclaimed Water Use
In the 8th five year national development plan (2004-2009), it is estimated that annual reclaimed
water uses may be increased from 260MCM to 380MCM, which becomes nearly 2.08% of the total
water demand in the country. The reclaimed water is generally used mainly for agriculture and
secondary for tree plantation, industrial water, and landscaping. There are only three existing
governmental projects of reclaimed water at present; in Riyadh, Hassh, and Taif. The study on
reclaimed water uses in the country has started in January 2007 by Italian consultant.
3. Legal Framework of Environmental and Social Considerations
(1) Related Organizations
Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME)is the representative agency in charge of
environmental management in Saudi Arabia. The general introduction of PME is explained below:
・ Direct organization under Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General
・ PME is composed of Meteorological division and Environmental division. The
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Environmental division is called Meteorology and Environment Protection
Administration (MEPA).
・ MEPA is composed of several departments for EIA, Standards, Human Ecology,
Natural Resources, Sustainable development, License/Permit/Punishment/penalties,
etc. in addition to provincial offices.
It seems that PME/MEPA does not have sufficient capacity for environmental management as the
national representative agency, due to shortage of experiences.
Besides PME/MEPA, there are some other organizations/agencies related to environmental
management as listed below:
• National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development (NCWCD): A
committee for natural environmental conservation in Saudi Arabia
• Ministry of Agriculture: Management of pasture, forest, livestock, national parks,
etc. by Natural Resources Department
• Ministry of Water and Energy: Environmental management of water resources,
water supply, sewerage, electrical power. But no environmental section exists yet.
• Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources: Environmental management of
mineral resources and industry related to petroleum.
• Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affaires: Management/services for hygiene in
urban area, solid waste, cleaning and landscaping in urban area
• Ministry of Health: Management for disposal of medical goods, consumables,
and equipment.
• Ministry of Interior: Management and coordination of emission gas from vehicles.
The coordination among ministries is also carried out by this ministry, if
necessary.
• Ministry of Culture and Information: Campaign for enhancing Environmental
consciousness
The following agencies/offices may be also related to environmental management, although the
information of function is not yet obtained:
・ Saudi Arabian Satandards Organization
・ Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu
・ King Abdulazis City for Science and Technology
・ Saudi Aramco
・ SABIC(Saudi basic Industry Corporation)
(2) Environmental Laws and Environmental License
8
The detailed information of environmental laws in Saudi Arabia could be obtained from neither
MOWE nor PME, possibly due to shortage of available information. The former is the executing
agency of the Study and the latter is the representative agency of environmental management in
Saudi Arabia. PME just showed「General Environmental Regulations and Rules for Implementation」,
which was prepared in 2006, as the representative environmental laws and regulations. It was also
explained from PME that no other environmental guidelines may be available in Saudi Arabia.
It was, however, found later that “General Environmental Regulations and Rules for
Implementation” does not gazette yet. That is, the regulations and rules are still not effective to be
used officially. In addition, no governmental offices/agencies follow or use yet the PME regulations
against the PME’s expectation. However, it is expected that the PME regulations may be officially
approved in the future (2007 according to PME). Some reference points in the regulations are
presented as follows:
・ Licensing agency is a respective governmental agency/ministry in charge of project
implementation.
・ Implementation agency of a project has to establish the detailed regulations and standards for
environmental management in competent field and carry out environmental impact assessment
in consultation with PME.
・ Implementation agency of a project has to take countermeasures for mitigation against
anticipated adverse impacts.
・ The EIA is required to be carried out at feasibility study stage. But, the requirement of EIA is
decided in reference to categories-lists shown in the regulations.
・ The existing project also has to improve the current conditions within 5 years following to the
regulations.
・ The Violations and penalties are described relatively in detail for strict management.
・ Environmental protection standards are shown for air quality and water quality (effluent).
・ There are three categories of project for requirement of environmental impact assessment and
documents. The First category is for a project with anticipation of no definite impacts, the
second category is for some significant impacts, and the third category is for serious impacts.
The types/kinds of project for respective category are also listed. However, it seems that
review and improvement of the lists is required, mainly due to insufficient explanation in scale,
definition, conditions, etc.
Note: The Guideline for Classification of Industrial and Development
Project, a part of General Environmental Regulations and Rules for
Implementation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia prepared by PME,
is attached for reference as Appendix (5 pages).
9
4. Outline of the Location
(1) Natural Environment
The total Study area is approximately 370 thousands km2 and nearly17% of the whole country. But,
it is nearly equivalent to the whole area of Japan.
The south west region, the Study area, is extended along the Red Sea and the mountain range is
located along the coastal line. The temperature and rainfall varies generally by altitude of location.
And the vegetation also varies according to the altitude in general. There are different ways to divide
the area such as the following examples:
(a) Six divisions based on altitude and vegetation
・ Coastal plain:El. 0~300m
・ Foothills:El. 300~1000m
・ Lower escarpment:El. 1000~1600m
・ Upper escarpment:El. 1600~2200m
・ High mountains:El. 2200~3000m
・ Rain shadow slopes:El. 1700~2200m
(b) Two divisions by mountain ridge
・ West side area of the mountain ridge line: Area between the Red Sea and the
mountain ridge line (Hijas mountains on the north and Asir mountains on the
south), which is located nearly 100km away from the sea
・ East side area of the mountain ridge line
(c ) Three divisions based on topography
・ Coastal plain along the Red Sea
・ Mountain range/area (Hijas and Asir mountains)
・ Desert/semi-desert area located on east side of the mountain range
Among the above divisions, the natural conditions are to be described for the three divisions as
follows:
Coastal plain:
Along the Red Sea, there is coastal plain with approximately 20 – 30km wide, although it is
narrow at some locations.
The coastal plain has less rainfall than the mountain area. The annual rainfall is generally less
than 200mm and less than 100mm in the areas close to the coast. Accordingly, the vegetation is
rare except urban or residential areas, where artificial sprinkling of water is common. The
10
typical land of coastal plain is desert or semi-desert except areas near towns/villages or wadis.
There are many wadis coming from the mountain area, but most of them have no flow for
whole year and some of them have no channel, as the flow is generally submerged in the coastal
zone.
The wadi bed is usually dried up and there is flow only a few times (2-5 times) in a year, when
relatively heavy rainfall occurs in the basin. The flow period is usually only from some hours to
a few days. Some wadis have no flow at all in the lower section for whole year. However, there
is submerged underground water in wadis within a few meters from the bed. And there are
bushes and grasses in such places. In addition, it seems that the soils layers has relatively high
water- retentivity, from viewpoints of observation in the field.
It may be comfortable to stay in the coastal plain from November to February, however, it is
very hot in the other months. The temperature exceeds 40℃ in July and August.
In addition to the landside, it may be necessary to pay attention to the seaside along the coast.
According to the information from PERSAGA, the regional organization for the conservation of
the environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the Red sea is renowned for their diversity of
ecosystems, habitats and species, the number of endemic species and their bio-geographic
significance. Along the coastal line of the study area, there are coral reefs at many locations.
Mountain range:
In the north of the Study area, the Hijas mountains with approximately El. 1000m at the peaks
run along the coast. The altitude of mountain range becomes relatively lower, El. 600m near
Makkah City. The Asir mountains, with the peaks between 2000 and 3000m in altitude, are
extended to the south from the Makkah area to the Yemen side. The area of higher altitude
(2500~3000m)forms relatively steep slope. Especially on the Red Sea (west) side, the
altitude goes down sharply to nearly 1000m. But the altitude becomes higher on the further
west to 1500~2000m in elevation. Then gentle slope is formed from the low mountains of El.
700-1000m to the coastal plain, although some low peaks of mountain/hill interrupt on the way.
On the east of the mountain ridge, the mountain slope is comparatively gentle as the elevation is
high in the desert, nearly 1000m at a location nearly 200 km away.
The mountain range in the Study area is a precious land for the country of Saudi Arabia. In
summer, many people visit for escaping from very hot weather in the most other areas of the
country. In addition, the annual rainfall is generally 300~500mm, which is much more than
that of the other areas. There are forest areas, which are also significant as natural resources for
the country.
11
Desert/semi-desert area on the east:
The desert extended on the east side of the mountain range continues to the Persian (Arabian)
gulf located on the east end of the country. The desert area does not have remarkable value for
land uses, as far as neither oil nor groundwater source is found. There are many wadi-routes
even in the desert area, but all of them disappear on the way.
(2) Protection/Reserve Area
It is informed that areas and numbers of trees/plants and animals were diminished in early 20th
century by human activities. The government has special concern for recovering the natural
conditions as much as possible. The mountain range of the Study area is notable for such objective,
due to its different climate and topography from the other areas.
There are the following kinds of protection areas in Saudi Arabia:
・ Pasturage Protection Area
・ Forest Protection Area
・ Wild Animal Protection Area
Besides the above classification, the current information on the protection areas in the Study area is
described as follows:
• There are national parks/natural reserves in the mountain range of the Study area. The
representative one is the Asir National Park, where the forest extends widely.
• NCWCD established special protection areas. The following five areas are located in
the Study area:
・ Farasan Island(Jizan)
・ Raklah(Asir)
・ Shada (Al Baha)
・ Araq Bani(Najran)
・ Mahazat Saki(Makkah)
• Forest protection areas are mainly located in Asir and Al Baha provinces.
• There is an old traditional protected area called “Hema” in the Study area.
• Al Baha National Park will be newly approved soon as a new protection area.
• Many activities such as camping, cutting, etc. are prohibited in these protection areas.
In addition to the protected area presented above, there is Farasan Islands Marin Protected Area
approximately 45 km offshore from Jizan town. There are 12 marine protected areas identified in the
Red Sea and Gulf of Aden by SAP, Startegic Action Programme for the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
12
(3) Socio-Economic Environment
The area and the population in respective province (Makkah、Al Baha、Asir、Jizan、and Najran) of
the Study area is summarized in the following table:
Area and Population in the Study Area
Province Area
(km2)
Total
population*
Foreigner Density
(person/km2)
Makkah 148,500 5,797,971 2,211,406 39.04
Al Baha 10,690 377,739 49,496 35.34
Asir 68,460 1,688,368 253,609 24.66
Jizan 13,470 1,186,139 192,464 88.06
Najran 129,875 419,457 70,768 3.23
Total 370,995 9,469,674 2,777,743 25.53
Source:Statistical Yearbook, 2005
*: Including foreigner population
The Study area has population of approximately 9.5 million (2005), which is nearly 37% of the total
population of the country. The province of Makkah has the largest population in Saudi Arabia, as
there are three large cities; Jeddah(3.5 million)、Makkah(0.8 million)、Taif(0.5 million). In addition,
there are nearly 2 million Makkah pilgrims every year and nearly 1 million illegal sojourners in the
province.
The province is divided by city and districts. For example, the Makkah province is divided into 21
cities/districts.
The Jeddah City with international seaport and airport is the commercial & industrial center of the
western Saudi Arabia. It is also the entrance city to the holy land of Makkah. The provinces of Al
Baha and Asir (Abha City) are recently popular as summer resorts and the commercial business
become more active. The Jizan province has comparatively larger agricultural production, in
addition to the commercial activities. The Najiran City is developed as traffic hub site and
agriculture center in the Najiran valley.
In the coastal plain, there are many cities/towns/villages, represented by Jeddah City with 3 – 4
million people and Jizan City, a capital city of Jizan province. These cities/towns/villages are
generally located away each other with certain distance between them. The land uses are generally
limited in and around these cities/towns/villages and along main roads. There is a good paved road
13
connecting the north and the south in the Study area along the coast. From this coastal road, there are
not a few roads connecting to the mountain side. The road condition is generally very good and high
speed of driving is common outside town areas. In the sea side of the coastal road, there are some
large development areas for desalination plants, fish/prawn ponds, etc. along the coast.
In the mountain range, there are Abha City (the capital of Asir province), Al-Baha (the capital of
Al-Baha province), Taif City (the third city in Makkah province). These cities has individual airport.
The major cities and towns are well connected by paved roads.
In the desert area, Najran City is the representative location, as it is the capital of Najiran province
and the center of traffic, agricultural, and commercial activities. Najiarn City is nearly 300 km away
from Abha City.
5. Categorization and its Reason
The project to be proposed by the Study is tentatively assumed as “Category B”
It is quite difficult to assume the project features/conditions proposed by the JICA Study. The Study
area is very wide and there are various alternatives considerable for planning of water resources
development.
However, it may be sure that dam projects are included in the proposed plan, as it is required to
develop non-renewable water resources. The dam development is the most effective measure in
general in the Study area, as the wadis (rivers) in the Study area have stream flow only during or
after heavy rainfall.
In addition, a dam project gets usually great concern from the environmental view points.
Accordingly, it is assumed for this report that the proposed project by the Study is a project with dam
construction.
A dam project is usually categorized as “A”, sometimes without specific considerations. In other
words, the name of dam has been painted in lurid colors in these 10 or15 years. It was considered as
a kind of environmental destroyer from typical environmental specialists, who do not have enough
experiences of engineering aspects of dam.
It is, however, decided at this study stage that a dam project in the Study area in Saudi Arabia should
be Category “B”.
A dam project, as a representative type of water resources development to be proposed by the Study
may not cause any remarkable impacts, due to overall considerations including the following points:
14
・ The project site is located in a rural district without inhabitants and remarkable land
uses are not seen.
・ It is also not considerable to have adverse impact to present eco-system. The natural
conditions may be rather improved by the project.
・ Accordingly no significant adverse impacts are predicted at present. Only possible
slight impacts may happen during the construction, if any reasonable management is not
done for safety, waste disposal, hygiene, water contamination, etc.
・ However, the definite project plan is not known yet and there are some unknown site
conditions. Accordingly it is considered necessary to carry out the environmental survey
and assessment study (IEE at M/P level) to confirm the impacts and propose measures
to mitigate some slight impacts if any.
6. Provisional Scoping
(1) Hearing for Scoping
The hearing survey was carried out to the following people:
・ Some engineers and managers of MOWE head office and provincial offices
・ Consultants for supervision at dam construction sites
・ Contractors at dam construction sites
・ Engineers/specialists of some engineering/environmental consulting companies
Actual situation of Environmental Impact Assessment
Saudi Arabia already ratified most major international conventions of environmental fields, such as
Conventions on Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, and Law
of the Sea and Ozon Layer Protection. That is, the country has good consciousness for
environmental protection. However, it seems that actual environmental management is not so active,
possibly due to magnificent land comparing with the population and rapid economic development.
As already mentioned, the establishment of environmental laws and regulations are not sufficient yet.
So the actual situation of environmental impact assessment is more or less poor as explained as
follows:
・ 「General Environmental Regulations and Rules for Implementation」is prepared in 2006 and
does not gazette yet.
・ No government agencies including MOWE provide the attitude of cooperation to use or refer
to the “Environmental Regulations and Rules”. That is, almost all the ministries neglect the
regulation by PME at present, nevertheless PME considers that the all the projects have to
follow the regulation even if it is not yet officially authorized.
15
・ MOWE is the implementation agency of dam construction. There are many dams constructed
in the past and under construction at present. However, the environmental impact assessment
has never been carried out. And there is no schedule of EIA for the future.
・ The Study on reclaimed water development projects in Saudi Arabia by Italian consultant was
started in January 2007, however, there is no schedule of EIA for the study.
・ In Riyadih, no EIA was carried out for the construction of large project of sewerage treatment
plant. There are large scale sewerage projects of expansion and extension at present, however,
EIA is not required to be carried out.
・ GTZ is now on the way of a large scale groundwater development study; Wajid Water
Resources Study. Although the consultants of GTZ explained that all the necessary studies are
included, there is no schedule of EIA in their TOR.
Hearing Information from Director General of MOWE provincial offices
・ In Jizan province, there is no example of EIA in the past projects and it seems that the
necessity is also not identified. No information of projects has been given to PME in the past.
However, it is usual that some government agencies concerned hold meetings for discussion
about the project, including the environmental matters. As of now, no environmental license is
required for any projects by MOWE. PME has never send any explanation or documents
concerning the regulation or licenses.
・ (as a personal opinion) For projects by Makkah provincial office, it is considered necessary to
carry out the environmental impact assessment for sewerage project which discharges
contaminated water to public water bodies. However, many other projects may be not required
to carry out EIA. If the EIA study is considered necessary, the study is carried out by a
consulting firm registered for environmental study. There is, however, no EIA reports prepared
for this office at present.
・ Al-Bahah province considers that the environmental impact assessment study is not a matter
of the provincial office, but the head office, even if required.
From the actual present situation in Saudi Arabia, it may become a special case if the JICA Study
carries out the study of EIA or IEE. Then it is noted that the EIA study may be necessary at
Feasibility Study Stage (not at the M/P stage), even if “Environmental Regulations and Rules” can
be officially approve in the near future. That is, the EIA or IEE has to be carried out only for the
convenience of the JICA side.
Concerning the Stakeholder Meeting, it is unusual to have such meeting at least during the study
stage. The meetings are held among government agencies concerned, when any issues are identified.
There is no case for NGOs or local inhabitants to participate in such meetings. However, Saudi
Arabia is democratic in regard to listen opinions or desires from the local people. It often happens
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that a development project is implemented after their petition to the authorities concerned.
Accordingly there may be no objections from the government side to have stakeholder meetings.
MOWE informed, however, that it may be difficult to specify the stakeholders from inhabitants as
the proposed project plan is not precise at the M/P stage.
Hearing and Observation on Environmental Impact for actual Dam Construction
As far as the information from interview with some government officers and consultants, no
environmental issues/impacts were reported. They rather explained that a dam project is essential for
water resources development and may give positive impacts to the environment from natural,
economic, and social viewpoints.
Issues concerning relocation of local people are usually most notable concerns in case of dam project.
But, such issue may not happen in Saudi Arabia, from the following observation and considerations:
• There are no inhabitants living in dam site and proposed reservoir area, as far as observed
during the site visit to nearly 10 dam sites(existing and under construction). In other words,
it is difficult for people to live in such location. Abha dam was the only site located in a
city area; however, it seems that there were no people when the dam was constructed.
People came to the nearby dam site after the dam construction because of good landscape,
improvement of traffic network, and availability of drinking water.
• It is dangerous to live in wadi valley, as a flood comes suddenly. And people know such
conditions.
• There is no spring water in mountain area, except very limited locations. Domestic water is
generally available in locations with water supply pipeline or tank-truck services. There
are no services to such isolated locations.
• Even if there are some people living in a proposed dam site, it is expected that they have
no objection to relocate. They may not have strong instinctive hold on housing location as
there are too many wide lands available to use.
• People understand the importance of water resources development.
(2) Screening and Scoping
(a) Screening
As already explained above, the environmental impact assessment is not required and actually not
carried out at least for the governmental projects for MOWE. However, the screening and scoping is
to be carried out as it is required from the JICA guideline.
Although it is difficult to assume the project features and environmental conditions at this time of
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study, it is decided to assume a dam project of which environmental descriptions are summarized in
Table 1. These assumptions are prepared in reference to the actual conditions of 5 or 6 dams of under
construction, where the site visit has been carried out during the preparatory study.
Descriptions
Dam construction for water resources development (Note:The following conditions areassumed for scoping purpose.) ; Location (Wadi Hali basin, Assumed location of dam site isshown in Fig 1, Basin area is approximately 4,000 km2), Fill type dam (approximately 80mhigh, approximately 2 million m3 in embankment volume ), Spillway (concrete, designdischarge 8,000m3/s), Foundation grouting (30m deep), Quarry sites of embankmentmaterials and aggregate are located nearby the dam site.
Local community No local people live in and around the dam site and the proposed reservoir area
LanduseNo particular landuse is seen except temporary traffic on wadi bed. But, there are existingwells located in wadi bed. The water pumped up from the wells is transmitted to a town inthe downstream area for domestic uses and then distributed to the other towns/villages bywater-tank trucks.
Economy/Traffc No remakable econimic activities are seen as no inhabitants live there, although there is atown about 10 km downstream.
Topography andGeology
The wadi bed is approximately 200m wide and there is hard rock steep slope on the bothbanks.There is nealy 20 m deep gravel layer on the wadi bed. The valley sections more orless vary in the reserpoir area, but the landscape and the geoplogical conditions are basicallythe same in the whole valley.
Coast & Marine The wadi mouth is located in the Red Sea, of which coastal line has straignt or gentlealignment and with comparatively narrow sand beach.
Valuable species offauna & flora andecosystem
Most areas have scarce vegetation with some bushes only in local parts. No animals are seen,although a group of monkey occasionally appears and some reptiles such as lizards may livethere. There is no information about any endangered species. There are no aquatic plants.There are, however, coral reefs located along the coastal line in the Red Sea. Some corals areendangerded species to be protected. In Fig 2, the general location map of coral reefs andmarine protected area is shown for a reference.
Air pollution, Watercontamination,Noise, etc.
There are no such pollution sources due to no activities which cause any pollutions.
Currentcontermeasures
Not necessary to take countermeasures.
In Saudi Arabia, it is generally considered that dam constuction is important for waterresources development and positive environmental impacts may be expected.
NaturalEnvironment
Pollution
Other remarkable points
Table 1 Descriptions of Assumed Project
Item
Project Features
SocialEnvironment
(Assumed Project:Dam development. The conditions are assumed in reference to some examles of actual damprojects under construction at present.)
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The screening is carried out by using a check list commonly used for JICA study. The results are
summarized in Table 2. It is judged that there are no items with definite significant impacts, but the
following four items are considered to be “Not sure” at this stage.
・ Health and Hygiene
・ Waste disposal
・ Disaster/accident
・ Fauna and Flora (especially marine fauna)
・ Water pollution
The reasons of “Not sure” are described in the table. As a conclusion, it is considered necessary to
carry out the IEE study, although no significant adverse impacts are predictable.
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Descriptions Impact Remarks
1 Relocation and land acquisition Relocation and/or land acquisition due to projectfacilities or construction works. No No inhabitants
2 Economic activity Decrease of production. Change of economicstructure. No No economic activity
3 Traffic/Public facilities Traffic congestion, Accident, Effect on publicfacilities No No minus conditions, transportaion system becomes
beneficial.
4 Division of Communities Separation of local communities due to blocking oftransportation system. No No local community/village.
5 Archaeological/CulturalHeritage
Decrease or deterioration of archaeological/culturalsites. No No objective sites
6 Vested Right Right for fishery, water use, logging ,etc. No No uses at peresent
7 Health and Hygiene Degradation of hygienic conditions caused bywaste disposal and vector insects. Not sure
No impacts have happened at dam sites in the past.But, the careful management during construction maybe required.
8 Waste Disposal Construction waste/debris, contaminated mud,sludge, general wastes, etc. Not sure
Careful control may be required for disposal ofwastes generated by construction activities andoperation of facilities.
9 Disaster/Accident Increase of danger on ground collapse, land sliding,construction accident, etc. Not sure
The slope in damsite is stable against land-sliding andslope failure. But, it may be required to manage wellfor safety control during construction.
10 Topography & Geology Change of significant land forms and geologicalfeatures caused by earthwork, etc. No
Land may be reformed at dam site, but noremarakable impacts are predicted due to no landuses at present. Earthquake is not induced byimpounding as the fiundation is geologically stable.
11 Soil erosion Soil erosion originated by runoff throughearthworks, logging , etc. No Surface soil is thin or nothing. Rock outcrop is
common in dam site.
12 Ground waterWater contamination or reduction of groundwatercaused by excessive pumping, seepage ofcontaminated water, etc.
NoPumping of groundwater, if any, is carried out at alocal area. No impacts on water level and waterquality in the surrounding areas are predicted.
13 River & Lake Change of discharge, velocity, riverbed due toreclamation, new channel construction , etc. No
No adverse impacts may happen by changes of flowdischarge, velocity, and wadi bed.
14 Coast Scouring or sedimentation at coastal area due tochange of drifting sands and waves. No No impacts to coastal environment by a dam project
have been imformed in the past.
15 Fauna & Flora Reduction of breeding and extermination ofendangered species. Not sure
inthe land. There are corals living along the coast in theRed Sea.
No endangered/protected speies of fauna and flora
16 Climate Climate change arising by implementation of largescale development of earthworks and structures. No
No remarkable/significant changes of nature, whichmay cause climate changes.
17 Landscape Change of landscape due to earth works and newstructures. No
Present landscape has no remarkable valuable sites.The landscape may be much improved by the project.
18 Air pollution Air pollution caused by exhaust gas and poisonousgas from vehicles and factories. No No remarkable quantity of emmission gas may be
occurred.
19 Water pollution Water contamination caused by inflow of soil,chemical substances, oil, etc. Not sure
Low level contaminated water is discharged duringconstruction. Some countermeasure to reduce thecontamination may be desired, although the impactsmay not be singnificant, even if happens.
20 Soil contamination Soil contamination caused by runoff and diffusionof effluent, poisonous substances, etc. No No toxic substances are discharged to the ground.
21 Noise/Vibration Noise and vibration caused by running vehicle,pumping operation, etc. No
Some noise and vibration may happen, but it does notmake any nuissance as no inhabitants living nearbydam site.
22 Ground SubsidenceGround surface subsidence caused by change offoundation condition and lowering of ground waterlevel.
No Ground suvsidence may not happen by the projectimplementation.
23 Odor Occurrence of exhaust gas and odour. No Odor may not happen during construction andoperation.
Yes
It can be assumed that no significant impacts mayhappen, however, it is desirable to take carefulenvironmental management during construction forreducing the level of slight impacts. Accordingly, it isrecommended to carry out the IEE study.
Pollu
tion
Overall assessment:Necessity of IEE or EIA
Table 2 Screening
Items
Soci
al E
nviro
nmen
tN
atur
al E
nviro
nmen
t
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(b) Scoping
The scoping was carried out as summarized in Table 3. Assessment is done by the following 4
categories/classifications:
・ A: Significant adverse impacts are anticipated
・ B: Slight adverse impacts are anticipated
・ C: Unknown (subject to further verification)
・ D: No or Almost no adverse impacts are anticipated
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ImpactLevel Reasons
1 Relocation and land acquisition D No inhabitants living nearby damsite and in proposed reservoir area.
2 Economic activity D No remarkable economic activity at present.
3 Traffic/Public facilities D No minus impacts are considerable. Accessibility and transportation in and around dam sitemay be improved.
4 Division of Communities D No impacts will be found on this item as any villages are not located in and aroud the projectsite.
5 Archaeological/CulturalHeritage D No objective sites or structures exist in and around the project site.
6 Vested Right D Neither water uses nor legal vested right is reported in the area.
7 Health and Hygiene CNo adverse hygiene impacts are reported in the existing dam construction. However, carefullmanagement may be required during construction stage as many people from various placescome together.
8 Waste Disposal CManagement and treatment of wastes will be necessary accompanied by construction worksand operation of facilities. The impacts may be within a permissible level, if suchmanagement/treatment is made properly.
9 Disaster/Accident C The geological and topografic conditions are stable enough against land-sliding and slopefailure. But, the possibility of accidents during construction can not be denied.
10 Topography & Geology D No negative impacts to topography and geology are anticipated. No induced earthquake mayhappen due to stable rock foundation.
11 Soil erosion D No soil erosion is anticipated. Soil layer is generally shallow and outcrop of rocks is typical
12 Ground water D Pumping of groundwater, if any, is carried out at a local area. No impacts on water level andwater quality in the surrounding areas are predicted.
13 River & Lake D No adverse impacts are considered due to changes of discharge, flow velocity and wadi bedmovement.
14 Coast D The impacts to coastal line did not happen in the past cases of dam construction.
15 Fauna & Flora CIt was informed that no endangered species might live in and aroud the project area. Thereare, however, coral reef along the coast in the Red Sea. The impacts to the reef are not sure atthis tme without detailed study of proposed plan.
16 Climate D No impacts to climate changes are sure in case of like this type of project and scale.
17 Landscape D There is no valuable landscape at present. The landscape may be rather improved.
18 Air pollution D No remarkable emission of polluted air/gas is anticipated.
19 Water pollution C The possibility of water contamination may be negligibly small, however, the waterconatamination may happen during the construction if any proper measeres are taken..
20 Soil contamination D No toxic substances will be discharged on soils in the project area.
21 Noise/Vibration D The noise and vibration during construction is limited and the residential areas are locatedsufficiently away from the working site.
22 Ground Subsidence D No ground subsidence is expected due to type of construction works and rock foundation.
23 Odor D No odor is expected during the construction and after starting the operation as no odorsources are considered. .
Pollu
tion
Table 3 Provisional Scoping
Items
Soci
al E
nviro
nmen
tN
atur
al E
nviro
nmen
t
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There are no items categorized as “A” or “B” and most items are judged to be “D”. However, the
same 5 items selected as “Not sure” in the screening are categorized as “C”.
These 5 items, however, are considered to be categorized as “D”, if proper countermeasures are
taken during the construction stage. The overall evaluation for these 5 items is summarized in Table
4.
Impact Necessary survey/study/mitigation Remarks
7 Health and Hygiene C
Study on hygiene facilities such as toilet,waste disposal system, waste waterdischarge system, water supply, and clinicto be used during construction.Recommendation on periodical healthexamination, consultation, education forhygien and health.
Significant health and hygiene issues maynot happen, but careful control duringconstruction may be required . Manyworkers come to dam site duringconstruction from different locations notonly in Saudi Arabia but also in the othercountries.
8 Waste Disposal C
Study and survey on disposal/removal ofsurplus soil and facilities used forconstruction. Planning for waste disposalgenerated by construction workers is alsonecessary.
No remakable toxic substances may be usedfor the project. No remakable significantimpacts on waste disposal are predicted.But, it may be required to take carefulcountermeasures to avoid possibility ofslight impacts.
9 Disaster/Accident C
Safety measures may be required forstability of excavated slope, use ofexplosives, fighting during flood, trafficaccident, falling/collapse at constructionsite.
Construction site is topograpfically andgeologically stable, but accidents byconstruction activities may happen if carefulmanagement on safety is not sufficient.
10 Fauna & Flora C
The survey of locations, area, andconditions of coral reef in the coastal seanear the river mouth is required in the areanear the mouth of a river, where a damconstruction is proposed by the study. Themitigation measures such as constructionof guide dike of flood flow, control ofdischarge and sediments at the dam site,etc. are taken if it is considered necessaryand effective. In addition, monitoring ofcoral conditions is also carried out
At this time of study, it is quite difficult toknow the details of proposed plan(s),including location. It is usual that there areno coral reefs living near a large river mouthas the conditions of water quality, especiallysalinity, are not good for corals. However,without any survey, it may be reasonable toconfirm the actual condition at feasiblitystudy in the future.
19 Water pollution C
Analyses of water quality ofgroundwater/wells before the construction.Periodical monitoring of water qualityduring construction. Study on constructionmethods and treatment facilities forreducing contaminated water dischargingfrom the construction site.
Significant impacts on water pollution maynot happen if proper control of waste waterdischarge is carried out. However, it maybecome social issues, if any watercontamination is found in wells locateddownstram.
Table 4 Overall Assessment (for Study/Survey and Countermeasures)
Items
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(3) Envisioned Mitigation Measures and Alternatives
It seems too early to study on mitigation measures and alternatives at present stage. In addition, it is
judged that most items are categorized as ‘D’, for which no impact is anticipated, and only some
items are categorized as ‘C’, which may not cause any significant impacts if proper management is
carried out during construction stage.
However, due to the guideline by JICA, it is required to make assessment even before the proposed
plan is prepared, to find any environmental issues at earlier stage of the project. Accordingly the
tentative general considerations are made as summarized as follows:
Envisioned Mitigation Measures
① Mitigation measures for Health and Hygiene
• Health check before employment of labors/workers
• Periodical health check at project site
• Inspection and observation of daily activities and movement of labors
• Education and guidance to workers for self control of health and hygiene
• Provision of hygiene facilities (toilet, water supply, etc.)
• Cleaning of the project site
• Hygienic dining and food supply
② Mitigation measures for Waste disposal
• Establishment of waste collection and treatment/disposal system
• Cleaning of the project site
• Periodical inspection and monitoring (at the project site and the disposal site)
• Removal of aged or abandoned facilities, equipment, and materials
③ Mitigation measures for Disaster/Accident
• Strict guidance and control of traffic rules
• Insurance of accident
• Education of safety at construction site
• Establishment of organization and measures of activity at emergency case of accident
④ Mitigation measures for Fauna and Flora (Especially for Coral Reefs)
• Sediments discharge control at the dam site
• Construction of guide dike at the river mouth for preventing direct flow to a coral reef
zone.
• Construction of a reservoir to regulate the flood discharge and sediments in a coastal plain
between the dam site and the river mouth.
⑤ Mitigation measures for Water contamination
• Strict guidance and control of waste water discharge
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• Inspection of water sites
• Provision of Water treatment facilities
• Proper maintenance of facilities and machineries
• Periodical water quality monitoring and analyses
Alternatives
The proposed plan is not sure yet at present, but it is unlikely to have significant adverse impacts as
far as proper management is carried out during the construction stage. Accordingly, it may be not
reasonable to consider any alternatives of a proposed dam project from environmental view points.
Alternative study may be required mainly from engineering and economic viewpoints.
(End of Text)
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