The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA) has started installing advanced electronic devices to monitor water levels simultaneously in the Jazan Dam Lake and Beesh Dam. The devices are equipped with data transfer systems to display and analyze information to support effective decision making regarding opening and closing dam gates.
The project aims to improve the monitoring of variables affecting groundwater and surface water resources. It includes measuring rainfall amounts, evaporation rates, surface water levels in dam lakes, and groundwater levels to develop a comprehensive system for monitoring and analyzing water-related data in the Kingdom.
MEWA is currently implementing two major projects to monitor water resources, by installing 200 devices to measure water levels in dam lakes, and 800 surveillance cameras, as a first stage, to transmit all the instantaneous changes that occur in these dams.
It is planning to install 70 rain gauges, 20 devices to monitor climate factors, 20 devices
to measure water levels in dam lakes, and 60 devices to monitor changes in groundwater levels.
According to MEWA, existing and currently implemented groundwater and surface water resource measurement points have reached 1,400. MEWA reported that 32 rain gauges were installed in the governorates and villages of the administrative regions of Riyadh, Asir, Jazan, and Al-Baha, adding that work is currently under way to expand the project to the rest of the regions of the Kingdom.
Source: Saudi Press Agency