The Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture announced the launch of “Saqr,” a smart assistant and advanced technological tool designed to revolutionize field monitoring of water resources and their uses. The launch of “Saqr,” a key output of the “Hafez” digital platform, aligns with the Ministry’s strategy to adopt cutting-edge digital solutions and enhance water resource governance to ensure its sustainability for future generations.
General context: Water security challenges and Vision 2030
Given its location within the desert region, Saudi Arabia faces significant challenges in water security, relying primarily on limited sources of non-renewable groundwater and desalinated seawater. In this context, the Kingdom's Vision 2030 has placed great emphasis on the sustainability of vital resources, particularly water. The National Water Strategy aims to regulate and develop the sector, improve water use efficiency, and conserve water resources. The launch of smart monitoring systems like "Saqr" is a practical and pivotal step towards implementing these strategies and transitioning from traditional monitoring to proactive, data-driven, and artificial intelligence-based digital monitoring.
“Saqr”: Digital empowerment for field monitoring teams
The Ministry explained that the smart assistant “Saqr” was specifically designed as an innovative technological solution to support water system enforcement officers in the field. The system utilizes artificial intelligence to provide inspectors with immediate and accurate access to all water-related regulations and bylaws. Through a simple interactive interface, the officer can specify the type of violation, its location, and the associated license status. “Saqr” then guides them through the correct legal procedure and the required documents for each case. This technology contributes to expediting enforcement procedures, reducing potential procedural errors, and standardizing the legal understanding among all field teams across the Kingdom, thus ensuring the completeness of enforcement reports and improving the quality of documentation.
The importance and expected impact of the initiative
At the local level, “Saqr” is expected to directly contribute to improving the efficiency of regulatory performance and curbing harmful practices such as unlicensed well drilling and excessive water consumption, thus enhancing the protection of national water resources. Regionally and internationally, this initiative positions the Kingdom among the leading countries in employing modern technologies to address environmental challenges. Saudi Arabia’s experience offers a model that can be utilized by countries facing similar climatic conditions, and it also reflects the Kingdom’s commitment to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 6, which focuses on ensuring the availability and access to water and sanitation for all.
