JEDDAH — The Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME) has announced that it will build 70 new automatic weather stations across the Kingdom. There are currently 130 automatic weather stations in the country. “By reaching 200 automatic weather stations, we will increase the accuracy of weather information, include new typological features, update the old systems and information, vary the data from numeral to visual and correspond to satellites faster,” PME President Abdulaziz Al-Jasser said. The Kingdom also has over 30 traditional weather stations, operated by experts, in addition to its network of automated stations. “We have also connected the 65 environment stations in the Kingdom with one unified system in order to accurately measure and exchange information regarding pollution in urban areas,” said Al-Jasser. The presidency is now able to receive real-time data on pollution density in various areas of the Kingdom, he added. The network of stations is allowing the presidency to develop environmental projects and plan for the future of the Kingdom's major cities. “The presidency has conducted a study projecting the environmental future of Jeddah. We have finalized a 25-year master plan for Jeddah, ensuring it to be the first city in the Middle East with a comprehensive plan to contain and control the rates of pollution,” said Al-Jasser. He said the plan covered marine life, underground water supplies, wastewater and air pollution and quality. “Once the plan is executed, we will move to focus on other cities in the Kingdom as well. We are still facing some social and industrial polluting practices such as dumping processed waste water into the Red Sea,” Al-Jasser said. He added the presidency was working to limit such practices by calculating levels of toxins and chemicals in the processed wastewater and appealing to official authorities to enact laws against such practices. “We can recycle processed wastewater and reuse it for industrial and agricultural purposes. If we apply such a strategy, we can save subterranean water for human consumption in addition to desalinated water,” Al-Jasser said. He said the presidency shut down a number of establishments for violating environmental regulations.
