Page 157 - Arabian Studies (I)

Man and Environment in Eastern Saudi Arabia 141

benefit the whole of the country, while a major veterinary service has
been set up to reduce the incidence of disease in the pastoralists’
livestock. However, there will have to be greater integration between
the oasis settler and the pastoralist, with oasis crops, dates (currently
there is a production surplus) and fodder, being used to improve the
feed of the pastoralists’ animals (Stevens and Cresswell, 1972). The
research centre at Hufuf is concentrating on this aspect of improving
the feed of livestock.
A second feature relating to the position that nomadic pastoralists
are likely to occupy in modern society is sedentarisation. Bedouin
settlement schemes are not a new concept in Saudi Arabia - the
earliest attempts were the establishment of the hijrahs in the early
years of the present century consequent upon the unification of the
country. More recently, the emphasis has been placed on settlement
schemes, such as those at Harad, where families were to be settled on
blocks, approximately 4 hectares in size, which would provide for
the settler’s family as well as allowing a surplus for marketing.
However, this aim has recently been changed and the Harad scheme,
4000 hectares in extent, will now probably be operated as a single
enterprise. Bedouin labour will be employed and trained so that they
can become land occupiers on the project. Such schemes will only
marginally affect the pastoralist — areas taken under cultivation will
be small relative to the total amount of range, and the numbers of
nomadic Bedouin affected will inevitably be small. McGregor (1972)
estimates the nomadic population of the country to be about
700,000.

The Effect of Oil Exploitation on the Environment
The direct effects of oil exploitation on the environment are mainly
felt in the oilfield areas (Fig. II). While the ecosystem is directly
affected by the necessary drilling operations and construction of
pipelines, such effects are very limited. However, pollution does
occur. In 1970, for example, the land pipe at Tarut broke and
spillage covered a large area of both land and shallow sea.
Fortunately such instances have been rare though atmospheric
pollution is more evident. Waste gases from the oil operations are
burnt off in flares and when still atmospheric conditions prevail in
the Gulf area, smoke tends to settle out in atmospheric strata at
altitudes of up to 5000 metres. Consequently there is a reduction in
the amount of incoming solar radiation, while solid particles are
deposited over a wide area. It has been suggested by inhabitants of
settlements along the Gulf that hazy conditions are more prevalent