Saudi Arabia Wins Two International Irrigation Awards
RIYADH, October 15 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) - Saudi Arabia has won two international irrigation awards recognizing a farmer’s use of water-saving technology and the historic irrigation system in Al-Ahsa.
The International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage awarded the WatSave 2026 prize in the farmers’ category to Ali bin Nasser Al-Shahrani. Al-Ahsa’s irrigation system received World Heritage Irrigation Structures recognition for 2026.
The awards were announced during the 26th International Congress on Irrigation and Drainage, held in Marseille, France, from October 12 to 17.
Al-Shahrani participates in a project run by the Saudi Irrigation Organization in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ programme in Saudi Arabia. The project uses demonstration fields to show farmers how sensors and irrigation management can match water use to crop needs and growing conditions.
The organization has established 22 demonstration fields serving more than 100 beneficiaries. Al-Shahrani adopted the technologies and helped share the experience with other farmers.
The Saudi National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage nominated Al-Ahsa’s historic system for recognition. Agriculture in the oasis traditionally relied on natural springs before the development of a major irrigation and drainage project in 1971.
The system included open irrigation channels and agricultural drains across the oasis. Subsequent upgrades replaced open channels and drains with pipe networks and expanded the use of treated water as an alternative supply.
Al-Ahsa has around 2.5 million palm trees and was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2018.
Saudi Irrigation Organization Chief Executive and Saudi National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage Chairman Mohammed Abuhaimed said the two awards reflected the combination of modern agricultural technology and historic water management in Saudi Arabia’s irrigation sector.
Source: SPA.
