Geographical Analysis of the Bottled Water Industry in Al-Qassim Region: A Study in the Industrial Geography

Abstract

Abstract: The bottled water industry is ranked first in the number of food industries in Al-Qassim region. The number of water-bottling factories has reached 10 factories employing 1166 workers, representing 39% of the total number of workers in the food factories in Al-Qassim region, driven by the increasing demand for water. The growing health awareness of the majority of citizens has led to increasing concern about the quality of household water, which explains the increasing growth in the capacity of these factories. The study follows the descriptive approach and a field survey of bottled water factories in Al-Qassim region using a questionnaire prepared for this purpose.  The results show a dispersion in the distribution pattern of the industry in the cities of Al-Qassim region. The results also indicate that the majority of the factories are concentrated in the main cities in the Al-Qassim region, where the components of this industry are available. Despite the availability of these components and the government support for this industry, there are some problems that the industry faces in the region, the most important of which are the high operating expenses and other problems related to marketing and labor supply. The study presents some solutions and proposals that may help overcome these problems and develop the bottled water industry in the region.