Overview

Commissioned by the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing (MOMAH) of Saudi Arabia, this consultancy project addresses a critical national infrastructure challenge: the absence of a comprehensive, integrated and up-to-date framework for stormwater drainage and flood risk management. Saudi cities face growing exposure to flash flood events driven by rapid urbanisation, population growth and climate variability, against a backdrop of fragmented existing standards, insufficient lifecycle coverage and limited alignment with international best practices.

The project delivers consultancy services for the full updating and preparation of guidelines, standards and technical specifications for rainwater drainage and flood risk mitigation projects across the Kingdom, in direct support of Vision 2030's sustainability and urban resilience objectives.

Approach

In a Senior Advisor and Expert Reviewer capacity, RSUP provided strategic guidance on the overall framework design, reviewed draft standards and specifications for quality and international alignment, and contributed expertise in urban systems, sustainability and resilience throughout the development process.

The work follows a structured eight-phase roadmap — from project inception and current state assessment through global and regional benchmarking, standards preparation, expert review, training and implementation, to final delivery. Key workstreams include a comprehensive gap analysis of existing publications and institutional overlaps, adaptation of international engineering standards to the Saudi environmental and regulatory context, and the development of updated design criteria for channels, culverts and flood protection infrastructure using 2D/3D modelling and BIM technologies.

The process integrates multi-stakeholder governance across a Steering Committee (MOMAH, Vision 2030), key stakeholders and the consultant team, ensuring national regulatory compliance and broad institutional buy-in throughout.

Outcomes

The project produces a nationally applicable, lifecycle-integrated set of technical manuals and standards covering the planning, design, execution, operation and maintenance of stormwater drainage and flood mitigation infrastructure. Seven core deliverables are defined — from a detailed work plan and benchmarking reports through to draft and final versions of the guides — accompanied by a knowledge transfer programme including training toolkits, workshops and KPIs for ongoing compliance monitoring. The resulting framework positions Saudi municipalities to manage flood risk more effectively, reduce infrastructure lifecycle costs, and align urban development with Vision 2030 sustainability targets.

Client

Ministry of Municipalities and Housing (MOMAH)

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Partner

GCLA

Timeline

2024 – ongoing