Declining Groundwater Level of the Minjur Aquifer, Tebrak Area, Saudi Arabia

The 1980s saw a rapid expansion in irrigated agriculture in Tebrak area of Central Saudi Arabia. Wheat production was expanding especially rapidly because of the government policy to buy at advantageous price all wheat offered for sale. This placed large demands on the water resources in the Minjur Aquifer, resulting in an imbalance between water recharge and water discharge. As a result, water level in the aquifer has fallen in this area. The use of groundwater has been inefficient and in future it requires proper management that answers the questions of when to use water, how much to use, how to use it, and evaluates the purpose for which it is being used. SAUDI ARABIA is an arid region that has no perennial streams. Therefore, groundwater is the main natural water resource. Two types of aquifer have been identified in the country; the shallow alluvial aquifers along wadi systems sometimes underlain by weathered bedrock, and deep rock aquifers, usually sandstone and limestone. The shallow alluvial aquifers are generally unconfined, narrow and long, small in area, and their water