Water conservation in Environment Week

Environment Week is a national environmental event approved by a decision of the Council of Ministers. It aims to spread societal environmental awareness, achieve ecological sustainability, preserve natural resources, and reduce pollution. Many activities, programs, and initiatives are implemented during this week, throughout the Kingdom, with the participation of individuals and government sectors. Private and non-profit.

Environment week goals

In this article, we list the objectives of Environment Week from the website of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture:

• Environmental education and dissemination of awareness messages through various means such as internal screens in facilities, e-mail messages, short text messages (SMS), and billboards in roads, stadiums, and gymnasiums, in addition to organizing scientific lectures, school activities, religious sermons, field events and interaction on social media accounts.
• Encouraging positive behaviors towards the environment by reducing food and water waste, rationalizing energy consumption, and using sustainable tools and products.
• Participate in voluntary campaigns organized by the authorities, such as afforestation campaigns, cleaning beaches, sea depths, wild parks, and others.
• Pledge to change negative behaviors towards the environment into positive ones.
• Encouraging energy savings by opening windows to allow air to enter and to reduce the use of air conditioners, turning off electronic devices when not needed, turning off lights when leaving the room, and using the stairs.
• Adopting positive behaviors to rationalize water consumption, such as: not leaving the water tap continuously open while washing vegetables, washing dishes, or brushing teeth, and repairing or replacing taps when there is a water leak.
• Responsible hiking and ecotourism activities call for enjoying nature without harming it.
• Encouraging exercise, walking, or cycling to reduce pollution from vehicles and traffic congestion on the roads, and to breathe clean air.
• Buy what is needed so that you balance the number of purchases and the amount of consumption, and use multi-use materials.
• Developing educational programs to integrate the concepts and practices of environmental sustainability in all university majors, to produce an informed generation.

In pursuit of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030

• Activating student environmental clubs in schools and universities.
• Reducing the production of paper waste, by using technical means in correspondence. Or printing on both sides of the paper, archiving files electronically, stopping printing paper invoices, and converting the paper menu into an electronic one.
• Contribute to the protection of the environment by reporting any practices and behaviors that harm the environment to the competent authorities
• Visiting Environment Week events held in your area with family or friends to gain and spread environmental knowledge.
• Interact on social networks and provide creative content and messages calling for preserving the environment. And share them with the Environmental Awareness Initiative account @enva_mewa.

• Paying attention to the health of the internal environment of the place, such as the home and the workplace.
• Participate in organizing and financing awareness programs and social responsibility toward environmental protection
• Contribute to financing and supporting ecotourism projects.
• Encouraging and supporting sustainable green energy projects and circular green economy projects.
• Understanding and addressing the environmental and social impact of some activities and the environmental footprint resulting from these activities.

Types of water pollution as mentioned in the Environment Week brochure

Surface water pollution

Surface water represents all types of fresh water in its various forms such as rivers, lakes, and ponds, and its pollution is, for example, with nutrients such as nitrates, phosphates, farm wastes such as fertilizers, and others.

Groundwater pollution

Groundwater is formed when rain falls and seeps through cracks deep into the ground. It is an essential source of usable drinking water, but it is polluted due to the leakage of pesticides, fertilizers, waste, and sewage systems.

Pollution of the ocean and seawater

80% of the pollution of the seas and oceans arises from the land, whether from waste dumped on the coasts and sea beaches. Or transporting pollutants such as chemicals and heavy metals from farms, factories, and cities through valleys and river mouths. Then transported to the sea.

Our duty toward preserving our water resources

• Increase wastewater treatment efficiency and reuse it for irrigation.
• Go for organic farming that prevents water chemicals from leaching.
• Build systems that prevent rainwater from wasting on streets and more.
• Reduce the use of plastic waste that causes water pollution.
• Replace chemical cleaners that pollute the water system with other organic cleaners.
• Contribute to rationalizing water to preserve water suitable for consumption.
• If you are a decision-maker in any facility, comply with environmental laws and standards.
• Notify the competent authorities when accidents or practices pollute water, such as dumping wastewater into wells.