Dr. Abdullah Abalkhail, spokesman for the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture announced that the ministry has begun implementing the ministerial order immediately upon its issuance in cooperation with the relevant authorities; providing for the suspension of entry of pastoralists and their livestock from the GCC countries and neighboring countries for (5) years. The ministry, in cooperation with the relevant authorities, has also set up a time-bound action plan for returning pastoralists and livestock in the Kingdom to their countries, he added.
Abalkhail stated that this ministerial order supports the Saudi Vision 2030, which provides for preserving vital resources, as well as the Kingdom's efforts in preserving the environment and maximizing resources utilization, noting that the order also supports the ministry’s earlier efforts in this regard; such as the implementation of the Council of Ministers Resolution that provides for putting a stop for fodder cultivation on 25-2-1440, and developing alternatives.
Furthermore, Abalkhail expects that after the implementation of this order, the Kingdom will save more than 8 billion m3 of groundwater reserves annually, in addition to the commence of implementation of the national strategies for water and environment for 2030 that were approved by the Council of Ministers, as well as the National Transformation Program Initiatives 2020 in the field of environment, water and agriculture.