Saudi Arabia is rumored to be pumping millions of gallons in salt water, and it said they're doing it all underground. Well, those rumors seem to be true. The Middle Eastern country was once stuck in a constant water shortage crisis, but not anymore. However, why would they bury water underground when it's so needed on the surface? We're all aware that Saudi is in the desert and it's one of the driest countries in the world. Despite this hiccup, the country has done the seemingly impossible by creating an underground river system without there having a single natural river. Crazy, right? Saudi has no natural freshwater sources, no lakes, and no rivers. But since 2021, the country has constructed 522 dams. In Saudi Arabia's case, such dams majorly store rainwater and flood waters, which are then treated and distributed through various systems. These dams collect and store the limited rainfall that does occur, primarily through wadis, dry river beds that temporarily fill with water after rare rainfalls. Considering their rainfall map, it's hard to say that several inches of rain falling from the sky would make a huge difference in the country's water supply. But luckily, they can. At certain times, so much rain falls that it's enough to supply entire cities with water. Saudi dams collect water from such seasonal floods and rare rainfall events. The dams are put in place because Saudi is so hot and the water would evaporate immediately from the insanely high temperatures were it left to rush on its own. Additionally, the total storage capacity of these dams to collect water is a staggering 650 billion gallons of water. Similarly, there are many important dams in the country. One of which is the Holly Dam. This dam is located about 14 kilometers east of Kayad in Maca province. Constructed between 2003 and 2009, it ranks as the second largest dam in the country with its approximated 249.86 million cubic meters in reservoir capacity. The dam helps with flood control, irrigation, local water supply, as well as recharge of water from the ground. In the Mecca area alone, Saudi has a crazy total of 60 dams with an overall capacity of 232 billion gallons of water. Despite being one of the driest countries on Earth, Saudi Arabia isn't completely without water. Regardless of the dams put in place, they're still a secondary water supply. Saudi's main water source comes not from underground rivers, but underground lakes, or to be more precise, groundwater. Here's the math. You can't say that nature has denied Saudi Arabia of the water that's beneath the ground because it technically hasn't. Geological surveys estimate that there are around 26 trillion gallons of water sitting right under the Saudi ground. That sounds like an enormous amount, and it is, but it's not as good as it sounds. Only a small portion of this water is renewable, about 739 billion gallons per year. This renewable groundwater can be safely used without threatening future supply because it's naturally replenished through rainfall. However, the rest simply won't, making it basically nonrenewable or what scientists call fossil water. Ancient water that's been trapped underground for thousands, even millions of years. Once fossil water is pumped out, it's gone forever. It doesn't refill because Saudi Arabia doesn't get nearly enough rain to do that. This fossil water comes from a time when the Arabian Peninsula was much wetter thousands of years ago. Back then, rain was more frequent and rivers flowed across regions that are now desert. Over time, the rain water seeped into the ground and collected in massive natural aquifers where it's remained ever since. Today, that same water is being extracted by pumps channeled to cities, farmlands, and homes. Groundwater may be a blessing, but it's not a bottomless one. It's honestly a fragile lifeline. You might be thinking it's not that bad. Well, for starters, Saudi Arabia consumes far more water than it can replenish naturally. The water doesn't even come close to half of what the country needs. Water is used not only for drinking and sanitation but also for irrigation industry and even luxury purposes like maintaining green parks and washing cars. The demand is huge and yet the renewable portion of groundwater is limited. What makes things worse is that rainfall in Saudi Arabia is scarce and very unpredictable. Some years the rain might be a bit more generous. Other years it barely arrives at all. There's no guarantee of when the next refill will come or if it will come at all. That means that relying on groundwater, especially nonrenewable sources, is a gamble. It's like spending from your savings account without any steady income. Eventually, you'll hit zero. So, what happens if or when the water runs out? If extraction continues at unsustainable levels, the underground reserves may dry up, leaving Saudi Arabia with very limited water options, especially with their ever growing population and the increased water demand as well. Saudi also works on treating waste water at special water treatment facilities. There are 99 of them across the country and the total amount of treated and reused water in 2019 was 1.3 billion gallons per day. It's predicted that this number will grow by about 4% annually until 2050, but it still won't be enough because the country's population is expected to increase as well. Faced with rapidly depleting groundwater, limited rainfall, and an ever growing demand for fresh water, Saudi engineers and planners had to think outside the box fast. Since nature didn't give them rivers, they pulled off an incredible feat and built their own. After all, with the Red Sea nearby, why not just pump water from it? That's what they thought, somewhere in Riad. And then they decided to go pump millions of gallons of water right under the desert sand. Of course, they didn't create a natural river, but a vast pipeline system, a man-made waterway that moves water from the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf all across the country. You already know by now that the rainfall in Saudi is erratic, averaging only about 100 millimeters, 4 in per year in many regions. That's why the Saudi Water Authority, the government agency responsible for everything related to water in the country, went on to build an artificial underground river in the form of a massive pipeline system. These pipes are approximately 8,700 miles stretched out end to end, making it longer than the Nile River. That's mind-boggling because the Nile is the longest natural river on Earth, which measures about 4,135 miles. Saudi's creation of an underground river, even the natural waterways, is one of the longest man-made water transport systems ever constructed. Unlike surface canals or ordinary water pipes, most of these pipelines lie underground, thereby helping to prevent evaporation, which is critical in a desert climate where summer temperatures can reach 122° F, 50° C. Originally, Saudi's water channels ran mostly along the surface. Now, the majority of these new waterways run underground. This helps to preserve the quality of the water and shield it from heat and contamination as well. An additional benefit of the underground river is that it maintains pressure and flow efficiency over long distances. Now, this isn't Saudi Arabia's only water network. As of 2019, the total length of the existing national water supply network was estimated to be about 78,200 mi, 125,880 km, much longer than the Red Sea pipeline system. But there's a noteworthy difference between the two. The earlier mentioned network is made up mostly of surface level pipelines laid above ground or shallowly buried. As such, they are more exposed to harsh weather, high evaporation, and damage. The new Red Seawater pipeline system, by contrast, runs deep underground. It's really an invisible river. It protects, pressurizes, and transports desalinated water across vast distances to inland cities and industrial zones. This massive system wasn't built for show. It was built for survival. With limited natural water sources and growing urban centers like Riyad, Jedha, and Mecca, the kingdom finally got a secure and reliable method to retrieve water from the sea. Without a doubt, we cannot forget the incredible feat the builders of Saudis underground river had to accomplish. Constructing Saudi Arabia's underground river was a massive engineering achievement. While moving water from the Red Sea and Persian Gulf to inland cities, the engineers carved through the Hijah's mountains. They also used tunnel boring machines and controlled explosions to blast through rock layers. These rocks are made of dense granite and limestone, and they pose serious resistance. The pipes themselves, some over 2 m wide, were precisely laid to ensure stable pressure and avoid risking leaks or collapse. After clearing the mountain-filled land, the construction teams faced the extremely harsh Arabian desert. In countries like central Saudi Arabia, the heat in the summer almost always passes 50° C, 122° F, which makes daily operations extremely dangerous. Workers adapted by building in early hours or overnight. But heat wasn't the only challenge. Shifting sand dunes, dust storms, and the occasional flash flood increased the unpredictability of construction. Laying the pipelines underground minimizes evaporation and protects the system from weather related damage, but it also requires deep trenching and soil stabilization. Now, you've probably been hearing about desalinated water in this video. The underground water channel pumps seawater, but how would the water taken from the Red Sea or Gulf help the population if it's salty? Desalination is removing salt and other impurities from seawater to make it safe for human consumption. A very innovative water solution in countries with limited freshwater, especially those in the middle of large bodies of salt water like Saudi. Desalination plants solve the problem of seawater being drinkable by turning seawater from the Red Sea or the Gulf into usable fresh water. However, desalination isn't just a bed of roses. It has its downsides, too. While it makes salt water fresh, it unfortunately takes loads of energy. It's also very expensive and it causes environmental challenges all on its own. Due to it being a highly energyintensive process, it uses large amounts of electricity most of the time from non-renewable sources. Therefore, it's a much more expensive method compared to traditional water sources. It sometimes costs 3 to 10 times more. Shocking, right? Additionally, desalination puts the environment at risk. A major concern is the disposal of brine, the highly concentrated saltwater byproduct, which harms marine life if not properly managed. Despite these factors, Saudi is still the world's leading producer of desalinated water. In the 1980s, the country's desalination infrastructure was minimal, but it began to invest seriously in the technology over the following decades. By 2011, there were about 30 desalination plants operating along the country's coastline. Fortunately, the number increased to 33 by 2023, and it went up even more in 2024 with there being 43 desalination facilities. Progress, a noteworthy example, is the Ross Alier station. The station, which is located on the eastern coast, cost a staggering $7.2 2 billion dollars to build. Even the Guinness World Records credits the station for being the largest desalination plant in the world. Isn't that amazing? Alka Station turns out 792 million gallons of fresh water every day. Simply put, it has enough to support millions of residents and industries. The next three largest desalination plants in the world are located in the United Arab Emirates, showing that the Gulf region is still in the lead. Still, Saudi Arabia continues to dominate with another major plant in the city of Jubai, consistently producing around 211 million gallons every single day. When you take the time to carefully compare it to other nations, you'll realize that Saudi Arabia's progress in desalination is unmatched. Countries like Israel, Australia, and the UAE are taking big steps, but Saudi continues to stay in the lead. Saudi Arabia's greening initiative currently poses as one of the most ambitious environmental restoration programs on the planet. Can you guess what it's about? The country has decided to protect its land from desertification through greening. This initiative basically reshapes Saudi Arabia's landscape and future in the best way possible. It protects 30% of the land in the country and involves planting a staggering 10 billion trees in the next few years. This incredibly huge effort brings back the trees and seizes the land from the shackles of the desert. It transforms the land completely, making it fertile and lifeupporting. The most important goal of the initiative is battling the far-reaching effects of the desert and generally reducing the amount of desert land that threatens ecosystems, agriculture, and even communities. The plan involves greening approximately 184 million acres of land. Greening this amount of land will act as a natural barrier to desert expansion while also making the soil more fertile and improving food security. But that's not the only goal. More good news is that the plan also leads to better air quality in the heart of the city where heat gets stuck in concrete and asphalt. With its inhabitants planting trees and creating green spaces, Saudi Arabia reduces how potent harmful airborne particles such as PM2.5 and PM10 work. Therefore, they negate the harmful particles that cause bad respiratory illnesses and other health concerns. Studies estimate that widespread tree planting can reduce PM2.5 levels by up to 20% depending on the local weather. Moreover, with more trees, the temperature will drop by at least 3.96° F. That might sound like a small change, but remember that it's Saudi Arabia we're talking about. The street temperature often hits 122° F, so even this small drop is a lifesaver. In addition to the national plan, several regional greening initiatives are being launched. Cities like Riyad and NEOM are incorporating green infrastructure into their urban designs. As of 2024, hundreds of millions of trees were planted with Saudi Arabia ramping up the number each year. While the full target of 10 billion trees will take time, there's steady progress. Quite a number of percentage points of land, especially in vulnerable desert zones, are already green or are being protected through pilot projects. Saudi Arabia's greening initiative is not just an environmental effort. It's a transformation of identity that reflects a shift toward sustainability for future generations. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.