Shimmering blue and fringed with a rich growth of reeds, this lake lies in a depression in the sandstone hills to the west of Sakaka. Waterfowl live around the edge, and even herons find enough food in its waters to survive. Any lake is a rare feature in the desert; this one is not natural, but the result of the outflow of processed waste. What makes it unique is how clean the water is, and why it remains that way. The water is unpolluted enough to support plant and animal life; there is no trace of the usual smells associated with waste, and it is clean enough to attract families to picnic on its shores at weekends. While not up to drinking quality, the local teenagers swim in the cool water with no apparent ill effects. Waste from Sakaka is processed and the cleaned water pumped up to the lake, where sunlight and natural ecological processes keep the water fresh and clean. The clarity is such that the pebbles at the bottom of the lake are clearly visible to a depth of over a meter. The water permeates down into the water table and, after finding its way through filtering sand and rock underground, supplies the wells that irrigate Sakaka’s many farms. Even with the introduction of production methods that have dramatically increased agricultural output, the wells of the region still supply enough water. The closed water-cycle that the lake is part of is playing a valuable role in maintaining and extending the life of the wells. The lake is the highly visible symbol of the care the city takes to recycle this precious resource and maintain the long tradition of agriculture in the region. Moreover, by using clean water to replenish the aquifers that sustain the oases in the Al-Jouf depression, the water-cycle remains unpolluted, and therefore infinitely recyclable.
- Arab News Features 18 September 2003
