Oil built Saudi Arabia –will a lack of water destroy it?

As Riyadh continues to build skyscrapers at a dizzying rate, an invisible emergency threatens the desert kingdom's existence

Bottles of water twirl on the conveyor belts of the Berain water factory in Riyadh, as a puddle of water collects on the concrete floor. In a second warehouse, tanks emit a low hum as water brought in from precious underground aquifers passes through a six-stage purification process before bottling.

"In Saudi Arabia there are only two sources of water: the sea and deep wells," says Ahmed Safar Al Asmari, who manages one of Berain's two factories in Riyadh. "We're in the central region, so there are only deep wells here."