المملكة: Urgent: Banning the indiscriminate use of wastewater… and fines amounting to 600 thousand riyals

I approved Sanitation, starting from treatment, through reuse, and ending with monitoring compliance with approved standards, in line with the Ministry’s competencies and the roles of relevant authorities.

Prohibition of indiscriminate use

Article Three of the controls stressed a set of general provisions that represent the basis for any activity related to the reuse of treated wastewater.

The Ministry confirmed the complete prohibition of the use of untreated wastewater in all circumstances and purposes, while preventing its discharge directly into the surrounding environment. Because of the serious risks it poses to public health and the environmental balance.

The provisions stipulated that the Ministry should set standards for reuse according to its jurisdiction, ensuring the safety of treated water before directing it for any purpose.

In this context, the competent center was authorized to set controls and requirements for monitoring the components and environmental indicators of treated wastewater before discharging it into environmental circles, in order to ensure compliance with the approved specifications.

The task of monitoring the use of The treated waterto the General Organization for Irrigation, provided that this is done in accordance with the reuse standards approved by the Ministry, with the institution obligated to notify the Ministry as soon as any violations are detected.

Strict restrictions on the use of treated water

The controls confirmed the prohibition of the use of double or triple treated water for the purposes allocated to it before ensuring that it fully complies with the approved reuse standards. They also categorically prohibited the use of waste water in the vicinity of the treated water downstream, whether through direct withdrawal. From the stream or by transporting it in tanks for any purpose, due to the environmental and health risks that may result.

With regard to protecting groundwater, the provisions stipulate the prohibition of injecting treated wastewater into aquifers through wells, except after obtaining the necessary license from the Ministry, and in accordance with the conditions and controls regulating that, in order to prevent contamination of the strategic groundwater reserve.

Article Four touched on the conditions and controls for the reuse of bilaterally treated water, as it allowed its use after ensuring that it is It is safe and free of pollutants, and in accordance with the reuse standards approved by the Ministry, for a limited range of purposes.

These purposes included useful agricultural irrigation, industrial uses, and mining activities, in addition to construction work and similar activities, provided that adherence to the standards remains a basic condition before any actual use.

Controls for the use of tertiary treated water

As for Article Five, it regulated the use of tertiary treated water and allowed its use. For all purposes after ensuring their safety and compliance with standards, with clear exceptions that are not open to interpretation.

These exceptions included prohibiting their use for drinking, or as a source of water for potable things, or as a source of water for bottled water factories, in addition to prohibiting their use in domestic uses and food industries.

The cultivation of root, tuber and leafy plants that are eaten raw and in direct contact with this water was prohibited, due to the sensitivity of these crops. And its direct impact on the health of the consumer.

Article Six stipulated precise conditions for the use of water from wells located in the vicinity of the mouth of the treated water for agricultural purposes.

It confirmed that its use is categorically prohibited in the cultivation of root, tuber and leafy plants that are eaten raw and are in direct contact with water.

On the other hand, it allowed the use of this water on the condition that chemical and microbiological analyzes of water samples from each well are conducted every three months in an accredited laboratory. And provide the Ministry with the results of these analyses.

The controls stated that if the results do not conform to the standards of reused wastewater, the use must be stopped immediately.

But if the results conform to the standards, the Ministry authorizes the use of these wells to grow plants and other trees, while continuing to prohibit the cultivation of root, tuber, and leafy plants that are eaten raw or whose fruits are in direct contact with water.

Well water as a source of water for uses

The seventh article dealt with regulating the use of well water located in the vicinity of the treated water estuary as a source of water, as it strictly prohibited its use for drinking, domestic uses, or food industries, as well as as a source of water for potable products or for bottled water factories.

On the other hand, it allowed its use as a water source for non-potable things, provided that periodic analyzes are conducted every three months in an accredited laboratory, and the Ministry is provided with the results.

/>If the results do not conform to the standards of non-potable water, use shall be stopped immediately.

Classification of Violations and Severe Penalties

The Ministry has drawn up a detailed list of violations and the resulting financial penalties, within the framework of a deterrent approach aimed at ensuring full compliance with controls.

These violations included the use of untreated wastewater for all circumstances and purposes, which is one of the most severe violations, as the fine imposed on them ranges from a minimum of 400 thousand riyals. A maximum of 600,000 riyals.

Fines ranging between 200,000 and 300,000 riyals were imposed on the use of treated wastewater for drinking, household uses, or food industries, while fines ranging between 100,000 and 200,000 riyals were imposed on the use of this water as a source of water for potable things or as a source of water for bottled water factories.

With regard to agriculture, fines ranging between 50,000 and 70,000 were approved. Water violations: fines ranging from 40,000 to 80,000 riyals for using triple-treated water to grow root, tuber, and leafy plants that are eaten raw and in direct contact with water. Wells and the downstream stream

The penalties included imposing fines ranging from 100,000 to 200,000 riyals for using water from wells located in the vicinity of the treated water estuary for drinking, household uses, or food industries, and fines between 80,000 and 100,000 riyals for using it as a source of water for potable things or for bottled water factories.

Fines of between 100,000 and 200,000 riyals apply to its use in growing plants. Root, tuber, and leafy vegetables that are eaten raw.

In a related context, fines ranging between 60,000 and 80,000 riyals were approved for the use of treated wastewater distributed by the General Organization for Irrigation in the cultivation of these sensitive crops, and fines ranging between 20,000 and 40,000 riyals are also applied for direct withdrawal from the treated water downstream or transferring the disposed water through tanks and using it for any purpose.

The Ministry confirmed that no action has been taken. Periodic chemical and bacteriological analyzes of the water of wells located in the vicinity of the downstream stream every three months, or failure to provide the Ministry with its results, is a violation requiring a fine ranging between 10,000 and 30,000 riyals.

The penalties included using the water of these wells to grow plants and trees whose fruit is eaten if the results of the analyzes do not conform to the standards, as well as using it as a source of water for non-potable things when the results do not conform to the standards of non-potable water, with the imposition of a fine. itself.

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