How does digital intelligence improve performance in Riyadh?

Digital intelligence improves performance by using widespread electronic metering, a centralized SCADA system, and customer applications such as the National Water app and Kashf to deliver real-time monitoring, leak detection, KPI tracking, and behavioural nudges that collectively support reductions in non-revenue water and household consumption.

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Urban Water Security and Demand Management in Riyadh

Q: How is Riyadh’s water transition funded?

Riyadh’s water transition is funded through a combination of state spending on desalination, groundwater and network infrastructure, and substantial private investment mobilised via Public–Private Partnerships, while heavily subsidised tariffs are gradually reformed for high-consumption sectors to improve cost recovery and incentivise efficiency.

Q: What defines Riyadh’s urban water security approach?

Riyadh’s urban water security approach is defined by integrated reliance on desalination, non-renewable groundwater, and rapidly expanding treated wastewater reuse, all governed by Water Law 2020, Vision 2030, and the National Water Strategy 2030, with strong emphasis on efficiency standards, reuse for Green Riyadh, and stormwater and wadi-based natural infrastructure.

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Urban Water Security Series

Urban Water Security and Demand Management in Riyadh

Strategic framework for Vision 2030–aligned urban water security, demand management, and circular water infrastructure in Riyadh.

Summary Insight: Riyadh has emerged as a flagship case for water sector transition under Saudi Vision 2030 by combining large-scale desalination and fossil groundwater supplies with an increasingly efficiency-driven, digitally enabled demand management strategy. By targeting a reduction in per capita urban consumption from over 275 to 150 litres per person per day, cutting non-revenue water from roughly 35 percent to 15 percent by 2030, and rapidly shifting from thermal to high-efficiency Reverse Osmosis desalination that has already improved operational efficiency by about 80 and halved unit production costs, the city offers a replicable blueprint for hyper-arid megacities seeking long-term water security.

Target Audience

Utility Executives: Benchmarking large-scale NRW reduction, smart metering and SCADA rollout, and RO-led desalination cost optimisation in an arid capital city.
Regulators: Reviewing Water Law 2020 implementation, tariff reforms for high-consumption segments, and alignment with National Water Strategy 2030 targets.
Infrastructure Investors: Assessing PPP-driven desalination, wastewater reuse, and transmission projects that have mobilised over SAR 45 billion in private capital for Riyadh and the wider Kingdom.

Report Deliverables

Comprehensive mapping of Riyadh’s integrated supply portfolio across desalination, non-renewable groundwater, and treated wastewater reuse under rising urban demand.
Detailed analysis of tariff structures, subsidy burdens, smart metering initiatives, NRW reduction programmes, and digital tools such as the Kashf app.
Forward-looking pathway for scaling circular water solutions, including wastewater reuse for Green Riyadh, stormwater and wadi-based systems, and brine resource recovery in line with Vision 2030 and emerging Net Zero ambitions.

The Five Strategic Pillars

Architectures: System orchestration of a predominantly desalination- and fossil groundwater–supplied urban network where desalination meets roughly three-quarters of municipal demand and groundwater still accounts for about 62 percent of naturally derived water, all under conditions of annual rainfall below 100 millimetres and rapidly rising urban populations.

Enablement: Progressive block tariffs for municipal users, targeted industrial price reforms that doubled tariffs to SAR 9 per cubic metre, and accelerated deployment of electronic meters and a centralized SCADA platform to support real-time monitoring, billing accuracy, and early leak detection.

Resolution: National and city-level NRW programmes aiming to cut losses from 25–40 percent toward 15 percent by 2030, supported by smart metering, pilot projects using pressure logging and M2 sensors, and citizen-facing tools like the Kashf application, which links more than 13,000 users to certified leak-repair providers and has saved over 8 million cubic metres of water.

Alignment: Integration of Water Law 2020, Vision 2030, and the National Water Strategy 2030, which together define water as state property, prioritise human needs, mandate conservation through cost-reflective tariffs, and set headline targets for per capita consumption and NRW reduction while supporting industrial growth.

Capability Building: Institutional strengthening of MEWA, the Saudi Water Authority, National Water Company, SWCC, SWPC, and MAEE, combined with national awareness strategies, targeted campaigns such as “A Habit That Achieves Sustainability” and “Your Impact Lasts,” and ESG-oriented CSR frameworks that embed efficiency and conservation across public and private actors.

Operational Excellence & Resilience

Riyadh provides a stress-tested model for arid megacities where non-renewable groundwater and desalination together underpin municipal supply in a setting of minimal rainfall and intensifying heat. The transition from Multi-Stage Flash desalination at roughly 14.3 kWh per cubic metre to advanced RO at around 2.27 kWh per cubic metre has improved energy efficiency by about 80 and effectively halved desalination costs, while major wastewater treatment upgrades and reuse expansion to 555 million cubic metres in 2023 support a national reuse goal of 70 percent by 2030.

Despite historically high per capita water use—around 320 litres per person per day in Riyadh in 2019—household consumption fell by about 10 percent between 2022 and 2023, from 113 to 102 litres per person per day, reflecting the combined impact of tariff reforms, efficiency standards, and digital behaviour tools. Looking ahead, achieving the 150 litres per person per day target, closing Riyadh’s projected 1.84 million cubic metre per day municipal deficit by 2030, and reducing NRW to 15 percent will hinge on full digitalisation, continued RO expansion, and scaled circular water initiatives such as Green Riyadh’s one‑million‑cubic‑metre‑per‑day treated water irrigation network.

Infrastructure & Climate Roadmap SAR 45+ Billion PPP Investment

Mobilised through Public–Private Partnerships for desalination, wastewater reuse, and transmission—including assets such as the SAR 8.5 billion Jubail–Buraydah Independent Water Transmission Pipeline—while annual subsidies for desalinated water provision remain around SAR 40.2 billion, highlighting the importance of efficiency gains and gradual tariff restructuring.

Expert Briefing: FAQs

How is Riyadh’s water transition funded?
Riyadh’s water transition is financed through a mix of state expenditure on desalination, groundwater management, and distribution networks, alongside substantial private capital mobilised under PPP frameworks led by the Saudi Water Partnership Company. While the average sale price of about USD 0.08 per cubic metre recovers only around 5 percent of total production and transmission costs—estimated near USD 1.09 per cubic metre—targeted tariff reforms for industrial and commercial users and expanding wastewater reuse help to moderate the fiscal burden and support ongoing investment.

What defines Riyadh’s “urban water security” approach?
Riyadh’s approach combines diversified non-conventional supply—desalination, fossil groundwater, and rapidly scaling wastewater reuse—with strong regulatory oversight and ambitious efficiency targets under the National Water Strategy 2030. Structural tools include Water Law 2020 provisions on state ownership and conservation, mandatory efficient fixtures and Sustainability Trasheed Card labelling, expansion of reuse for Green Riyadh and industrial cooling, and extensive stormwater and wadi rehabilitation projects such as Wadi Hanifa that enhance natural treatment and flood management.

How does digital intelligence improve performance?
Digital intelligence is embedded through widespread deployment of electronic meters, the National Water Company’s centralized SCADA system, and customer-facing platforms such as the National Water app and Kashf. These tools provide real‑time data for leak detection, network optimisation, KPI tracking, and predictive maintenance, while giving customers usage visibility and direct access to certified leak-repair services, thereby reinforcing behavioural change and supporting the targeted reduction of NRW from roughly 35 percent to 15 percent by 2030.

Urban Water Security and Demand Management in Riyadh

Target Audience

Report Deliverables

The Five Strategic Pillars

Operational Excellence & Resilience

Expert Briefing: FAQs

Urban Water Security and Demand Management in Riyadh

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