The terms defined in the Law - wherever mentioned in this Regulation - shall have the meanings stated therein, and the following terms shall have the meanings specified next to each of them unless the text requires otherwise:

Law: Water Law.

Regulation: The Implementing Regulation of the Water Law concerning the tasks of the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture.

Ministry: Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture.

Minister: Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture.

Authority: Electricity and Co-Generation Regulatory Authority.

Ministerial Committee: The ministerial committee established under the Water Law.

Committee: The Committee for Reviewing Violations of the Law affiliated with the Ministry.

Integrated Water Resources Management: The procedures and measures that enhance interactive and systematic coordination among various entities for managing water affairs with the aim of maximizing the social and economic value of water without affecting the sustainability of water resources and the environment.

Water Conservation: The use of the least amount of water necessary to meet needs, in accordance with normal customary use based on practices consistent with Sharia principles and regulatory instructions.

Water Waste: The irrational use of water.

Beneficiaries: Public and private entities and individuals, including those engaged in activities, users, and consumers.

Water Footprint: The detailed analysis of water used in goods and services in the Kingdom.

Right to Use: The transfer of some or all of the licensed quantity of water to another party.

Water Source Development: Increasing the quantity of water in the source or reducing the demand for it.

Unrestricted Agricultural Irrigation: Irrigation of all types of crops without exception.

Register: The water rights register stipulated in the Law.

Water Emergencies and Crises: The sudden interruption of water supply or a severe shortage in the available quantities compared to the actual demand for at least one residential, commercial, industrial, or agricultural community, or the pollution of the source used to meet its needs.

User: A person who uses a water source, whether under a license or through direct empowerment.

Supporting Water Sources: Rainwater, treated wastewater, and supporting source waters.

Stored Water: Water that is kept by the user or beneficiary in tanks, containers, or special basins.

Water Waste: The irrational use of water, or allowing water to flow without reason, or its intentional or negligent leakage.

Source Protection Zone: The area affecting the water source where the use of the source or drilling to access or develop it is prohibited unless the necessary license is obtained from the Ministry according to the regulations and laws, and where harming the source or its basic structures directly or indirectly is also prohibited.

Water Feasibility: Defined as the relative value of water, which is the addition of a relative value to the quantity of water used from one of the sources (groundwater, surface water, or renewable) within the economic feasibility determined by the Ministry's regulations and added to the source use license.

Strategic Harvesting: Working towards the sustainability of water sources and preserving them to achieve integrated management through water harvesting.

Municipal Water: Water that has been treated to meet the approved specifications for non-bottled drinking water by licensed service providers.

The Regulation applies to all matters related to water sources, their development, protection, sustainability, management, organization of their affairs, rights related to them, and their use, including the use of treated wastewater, regulation and supply of water for agricultural purposes, and the collection, transfer, and treatment of agricultural drainage water. The management, development, enhancement, and distribution of Zamzam water are excluded from the scope of application of the Regulation.

The Ministry is the authority responsible for managing, protecting, and developing water resources in the Kingdom, and is specialized in all matters related to water, except for Zamzam water or what has been assigned to the ministerial committee or authority by a specific provision in the law.

The Ministry establishes - and updates periodically - development plans and programs for water resources, their supplies, uses, and treatment in light of the policies and plans approved in the National Water Strategy, ensuring alignment with social, developmental, economic, environmental updates, and climate changes.