This Country Has No Rivers Yet Faces No Water Crisis!

What if I told you there exists a country with neither a river nor a lake that completely sustains people? Quite shocking isn’t it?

While there is a golden treasure waiting to be unlocked, this sand dune directly sits over oil reserves which still makes South Arabia rich, though the water resources are nearly depleted. There are water wells, yet they stand dry. So, how do the people sustain in such a harsh environment? Well, I just hope you aren’t planning a trip because you’ll have to limit your water usage quite a lot. Gold may be present there, however, not a single trace of water exists.

Currently, only one percent of farmland is present in south Arab and those too grow a limited variety of vegetables. Most of the crops such as wheat and rice have the ability to flourish; however, the water constraints are too dire. They had to primarily depend on other countries for resources before and still do till this day.

Currently, Saudi Arabia does not hold much underground water, and what little remains is left at extremely deep levels. It is expected that it will be completely exhausted within a few years. A study mentions that many water wells existed in the region, which were utilized for thousands of years, but with the advent of modern times, the population drastically increased, leading to a greater usage of underground water which ultimately led to the wells drying out. 

What's surprising is that it only rains for a day or two every year. This does not make it possible to conserve any water or replenish the underground storage. As for the second alternative, water from the sea can be utilized. However, the process is significantly more complex than simply extracting it from a body of water. The salt content in ocean water is much higher than what can be consumed, so it has to go through the process of desalination before it’s drinkable. 

Comoros, Libya, Monaco, Vatican City and Oman are just a few of the nations alongside Saudi Arabia which do not have a single river in their jurisdiction. People from these countries also have to depend on seawater by extracting the salt content for everyday drinking.

While Saudi Arabia has cheap oil prices, shopping and living in the country tends to be very expensive. In terms of the visa requirements, there is an e-visa option that offers validity for a year, while a multiple entry visa is also available which allows you to stay in Saudi Arabia for up to 90 days.