'File 19/252 Bahrain Water Supply' [‎44v] (92/96)

Dr. Bramkamp said "that in and round
Qatif there had been as yet no reduction in the
water level or in the pressure» He said thet the
relation of the water supply in Saudi Arabia to
the water supply in Bahrain had not as yet been
fully determined but he gave it as his view that
even if the number of wells in Oatif were increased
i W; ■* a** ' 1
^ ' I \ M " v /
five-fold Water supply in Bahrain would not be
affected. In any case, long before water levels
in Bahrain could be affected by Oatif withdrawals
the water level in Qatif itself would fall
substantially•
Dr. Bramkamp believes that the catchment
or feeder area of the water supply of Bahrain and
Qatif is in the Dahina. He explained that the
pressure of water was determined by the equilibrium
or balance between feed and discharge. In consider
ing discharge it is necessary to take into account
submarine discharges as opposed to land withdrawals*
He gave it as his opinion that submarine discharges,
though not capable of exact determination, were
land
enormous and that the sum of^withdrawals was probably
in comparison with the sum of submarine
discharges. Dr. Bramkamp (who was, of course,
consciously or unconsciously, arguing the Saudi
Arabian case) said that reductions in water
pressure or levels in Bahrain could only be due to
local withdrawals in excess. Dug wells only
penetrate the upper water zone. Drilled wells
penetrate the lower water zone. Water from tne
lower zone undoubtedly seeps through to the upper
zone. It is likely therefore that wells drilled
into the lower zone will reduce the water available
for dug wells which draw their supplies from the
upper zone•