The Central Coastal Conurbation of Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province: Rampant Urbanization on the Expense of Vital Coastal Wetlands

The town of Qatif, labeled as "elKatif", is marked as the largest and most signficant city on the Arabian gulf. Also clearly marked is the peninsula of Ras Tannurah, the city of Hofuf as in "el Hofhuf" and Al-Hasa as in "El Hassa". This map defines the region of "El Katif" as extending from Half Moon Bay south of Dhahran all the way to Ras Al-Khair (Also called Ras Al-Zour, Ras Azzour) labeled as "Ras el-Ghas". This map was published in Paris in 1842 by French cartographer and engraver Pierre M. Lapie. (Source).

Modern Qatif sits in the heart of the Central Coastal Conurbation (CCC) of the Eastern Province (CCCEP) urban area on the shores of the Arabian (Persian) Gulf, which includes the metropolitan area of Dhahran-Khobar-Dammam all the way to Ras Tanura and Jubail, an area known to be as Historical Qatif until the end of World War II.

Qatif town labeled as "el Katif", Saihat as "Seihat", Ras Tannurah and Djilla Assagn all included in the region of "el Katif". This 1848 map was made by by the French cartographer and engraver Pierre M. Lapie. (source).

The newly established urban areas were associated with the oil industry, the economic nucleus of the region, and the entire middle east. The growth of the oil industry attracted numerous people from all over Saudi Arabia to satisfy the demand for labor. The growth in job opportunities reflected an increase in the population of the Dammam-Khobar-Dhahran metropolitan area which grew from 3,200 in 1932 to 320,000 in 1982 (source). This is considered to be an explosive population growth of 100 times in just 50 years, compared to the Qatif oasis population which only grew five times in 80 years. Qatif's population in 1904 was 26,000 according to Lorimer, the British Political Resident in Turkish Arabia, compared to 108,000 in 1982 (source). 

Under the modern state of Saudi Arabia, the region defined as "Historical Qatif" became defined as the Central Coastal Region, extending from Half-Moon Bay south of Dhahran all the way to Jubail in the north. (source)

With a population of 2.5 million people (60% of the Eastern Province), the central coastal conurbation (CCC) has developed into a linear multi-nuclear coastal metropolis, in which the component settlements became highly interrelated.

The Central Coastal Conurbation of the Eastern Province has been subject to one of the highest urbanization rates in Saudi Arabia, resulting in major changes in the coastal layout of the area.

Saudi Arabia's national development policies has encouraged the growth of the coastal region's population and economic activity, leading to the extension of urban boundaries towards the sea rather than looking toward the rural hinterland. The trajectories of the economic expansion of the the coastal cities were coupled with organized land reclamation master-plans for the whole region. 

Map showing all former and current mangrove sites as well as areas of reclaimed land around the Qatif Oasis and the Qatif-Tarut Bay in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. (KFUPM, 1990, source) 

Professor Faez Al-Shihri at the Department of Urban & Regional Planning, College of Architecture & Planning at the University of Dammam has dedicated several years of his graduate research to studying the impact of development on the Qatif Oasis. His research can be reviewed in his PhD thesis (here). Dr. Al-Shihri along with professor John Benson at the school of Architecture in the University of New Castle, summarized some of the impacts on Qatif's vital coastal lands in a study published in the Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (source), as follows:

Agricultural land, however, was not the only terrain to be affected by urban development; even the configuration of the coastline was altered, resulting in the loss of 1750 ha to landfilling over the last three decades. Al-Qatif, Sayhat, and Anak in particular have experienced urban development because of their coastal locations, as has the island of Tarut. Tarut, indeed, has been especially affected by urban growth and by the construction of the corniche road. The loss of sub-tidal habitat in Tarut bay is of particular concern. The seagrass beds and mangrove strands of the bay are known to be spawning and nursery grounds for commercially important fish and shrimps. Dredging and landfilling in Tarut bay are undoubtedly reducing the extent of the seagrass biotope, with unknown consequences for the total marine ecosystem or the sustained yield of local fisheries. Some of the last stands of mangroves are located in Tarut bay and some have already been eliminated by landfilling. Mangrove strands help to form a complex ecosystem since the roots of these trees trap sediment and provide a habitat for many minute organisms during all or part of their life cycles. Mangrove strands also supply a unique biotope for specialised macro-invertebrates and fish. Clearly, when their habitat and communities are covered by landfilling, these creatures are lost forever to the marine ecosystem. Landfilling consequences may also stretch far beyond the area of immediate impact because of effects on water flow patterns, levels of salinity, temperature, oxygen supply, the suspension of sediment, increases in turbidity, and the possible release of sediment-bound toxicants. 

As a result of land reclamation from the seabed, the size of Tarut Island increased from 1260 ha in 1958 to 2850 ha in 1993. The alteration of the coastline has already eliminated many employment opportunities in prawn and lobster fishing and carries a similar threat to pearling activities. The long-term ecological consequences are yet to be studied. Landfilling has also resulted in blocking the flow of water and has slowed the natural flushing action, which can make the area more susceptible to water pollution. Because of tides and other water movements, litter and other material has spread along locations like Tarut and Al-Qatif. This can interfere with the movements of animals, such as turtles, across beach areas. 

The scale of Reclamation around the coastal oasis of Qatif in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia (source).

Indeed, under the guise of developing the region's coastline, the Saudi government has actively expanded the complex interrelated urban area of the CCC through massive land-reclamation projects.

Although the consequences of such projects are still under-reported, they were still mentioned in Saudi Arabia’s “First National Communication” in fulfillment of Article 12 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (source). The report, submitted in 2005, mentioned

"The land reclamation processes have contributed to destruction of some environmentally sensitive areas, threatening many coastal natural resources which have been considered as the essential primary food web for marine living organisms. Accordingly, fish catch yields and reserves are likely to be affected."

Although the 2005 report claims that  Coastal Land Reclamation "projects of any alteration and negative affect either sea-ward and/or land-ward along the coastal line is prohibited by regulation, however it is permitted under special conditions", land-reclamation projects continued to take place, as evident from the comparison of satellite images between 2005 and 2012 (see below).

The city of Qatif was subject to intense land reclamation. You can see major changes in the coatal areas from 2004 (top) & 2012 (bottom).

The gradual reduction of the Qatif Bay from 2004 (top), 2005 (middle), 2012 (bottom)

Land reclamation to the coast of the town of Sanabis in the north of Tarout island. Urban encroachment can be detected too in the right of the picture.

Land reclamation in the west of Tarout island resulted in the drying of the largest area of wetlands in the island.

Land reclamation in the town of Darin in Tarout Island 2005 (top) & 2012 (bottom).

The land scape of Darin, which consisted of an island, has been completely changed via land-reclamation.

A bridge is being currently built in the Bay of Safwa , bridging the town of Safwa to the  Rahima and Ras-Tanura peninusla. The environmental consequences on fishery and vegetation are still unknown.

From 2004 to 2012, the coast of Qatif, Anak, Saihat and Dammam has been subject to additional land-reclamation.

The mangrove wetlands on the coast of Dammam has been completely lost due to additional reclamation projects for the sake of urbanization. 

Old land-reclamation projects in Dammam have been expanding in recent years.

The “Second National Communication” in fulfillment of Article 12 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), claims that there exists a National Coastal Committee which has an advisory role to government authorities with the power to grant or withhold approvals for coastal development. If such committee has an active and vital role in the approval of such land-reclamation projects, then it is their responsibility to provide detailed justification to the public regarding to all the past and future land-reclamation projects. Especially that the government report to the UNFCCC clearly highlights land-reclamation as a major factor impacting biodiversity (source).