The following terms shall have the meanings set forth opposite each of them:

Law: Law of Preservation of Water Resources in the GCC States.

Competent Authority: The authority supervising water resources and their uses.

Minister: The competent minister or his legal representative or delegate.

Well: Any well or hole created, whether by drilling machine or otherwise, for the purpose of extracting water and using it for any purpose.

Extraction: Raising groundwater or surface water or causing it to rise to the surface by any means.

Water Resources: Surface and groundwater, treated wastewater and agricultural water, desalinated seawater, or any other source.

Groundwater: All water existing beneath the earth's surface that can be extracted by wells, excluding water in ponds, tanks, or cisterns created by human action.

Surface Water: Water flowing above the earth's surface from springs or floods due to rain.

Drilling Contractor: Any person engaged in or performing well drilling for the purpose of extracting groundwater, either personally orwith the assistance of other persons employed for this purpose.

Drilling Equipment: The machine used for drilling a well or hole or expanding part of it to reach groundwater, regardless of the purpose for which it is used, the depth it reaches, or the diameter it operates with.

Drilling Practice License: The license issued by the competent authority to any drilling contractor to practice the drilling profession under specific conditions in coordination with other relevant authorities.

Drilling License: The license issued by the competent authority to the landowner, or equivalent, to drill a water well, deepen it, clean it, change its specifications, or fill it.

Productive Layer: (Productive Formation) is the layer authorized for the drilling license holder to reach for water extraction according to the depth specified in the license.

Supervising Geologist: The person appointed by the competent authority to designate the well drilling site and/or supervise its drilling and completion.

Specifications: The specifications for drilling, deepening, or cleaning the well set by the competent authority.

Prohibited Area: The area where the competent authority does not permit the drilling of water wells within its scope.

Damaged Wells: Wells that lead to surface or subsurface wastage of groundwater, or to water pollution or change in its quality due to the mixing of two or more water layers or the intrusion of seawater with the productive water layer, making its water unusable.

Without prejudice to the rights established by Sharia, water sources are considered public property to be utilized in accordance with the provisions of this law and other laws.

• The priority for the use of water shall be as follows:

  • A- Human needs.

  • B- Animal needs.

  • C- Agricultural requirements.

  • D- Industrial, urban, and other purposes, with priorities in this case determined by a decision from the head of the competent authority or his designee.

To ensure the protection of water sources from pollution, waste, or causing harm to public health or soil, the competent authority determines who bears the costs of repairing or filling wells, drilling alternative wells, or compensation for wells that may lead to such issues, whether these wells were drilled with a permit or before the implementation of the well drilling permit system.

As for wells that were drilled without a license and the competent authority deems it necessary to fill or repair them, these actions are carried out by the owner and at his expense within a specified period.

In the event the owner refuses to implement any of the aforementioned cases, the penalties stipulated in Article (10) of this law are applied to him.

It is not permissible to drill a well, construct a dam, or any water-related structures, or engage in any other activities that affect water resources without obtaining the necessary license.

Well drilling contractors must refrain from drilling any well for which the owner does not have the license stipulated in Article (7). In the event that the license exists, the contractor is obligated not to violate the instructions and specifications associated with it. The contractor is tasked with repairing or filling the well that is drilled contrary to those instructions.