In order to exploit rain and flood waters as efficiently as possible, the Ministry has concentrated on building several dams in different areas. Before 1975 (1395 AH), there were 16 dams; the number had increased to 230 by end of 2006 (1426/27 AH), with a storage capacity of 850.33 million cubic meters. These dams contribute to the increase of subterranean water reserves and the provision of potable water, as well as helping to protect plantations and some villages against the flooding which previously threatened them as a result of sudden torrential rises in the level of water.
Among the major dams in the Kingdom is the dam of Wadi Najran with a storage capacity of 85 million cubic meters, the dam of Wadi Jizan with a storage capacity of 75 million cubic meters, the dam of Wadi Fatima on the outskirts of the Holy City of Makkah with a storage capacity of 20 million cubic meters, and the Wadi Bisha dam, the largest dam in the Kingdom and the second largest concrete dam in the Middle East.
