Water Resources:

Oman is in the world’s arid belt and depends on groundwater and its limited rainfall . The demand for water continues to rise.   A national water resources conservation plan has been drawn up to further rationalise and improve water consumption practices and explore for new groundwater reserves. The Sultanate now has a complete, up-to-date and properly documented database covering all the country’s available and potential water resources, together with details of their status and conditions. Studies on new ways of rationalising water consumption are ongoing.

Water Resources Management

The approach here is the emphasis on making judicious use of available water resources and reducing waste.
The management plan includes:

• Reduction of water loss to the sea or desert

• Providing potable water in communities

• Developing and improving aflaj systems

• Intensification of studies

• Changing land use in some regions

• Increasing recovery rates of water loss

• Implementation of awareness programs

Aflaj, wells and dams

Oman’s aflaj system is an ancient but effective method of water management. Individual falaj, or water channels, together form the aflaj network, an interconnected system of water channels extending from the mountain tops and wadis to populated areas. Oman’s aflaj are dug in such a way as to ensure that the water is carried by the earth’s gravity and the natural incline of the land over long distances without using pumps or any other mechanical means.

The falaj system is thousands of years old. There are 4,112 aflaj in the Sultanate, 3,017 of which are currently in operation. The maintenance of these structures is undertaken by the govermment according to an annual timetable which adjusts its priorities according to the structures; many of them sustain damage as a result of heavy rainfall, or are affected by groundwater levels or water consumption. Maintenance work was carried out on 195 aflaj; this involved repairs to the channels themselves, the sinking of new auxiliary wells , or the exvavation of new tributaries or basins to increase the water levels in the channels. The water of each falaj is allocated on an equitable basis to all users, in accordance with certain fixed and recognized rules, passed down through the generations. In July 2006, the International Heritage Committee selected five Omani aflaj to be included

under UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The aflaj are: Dareez at Nizwa, Khatmin at Birkat al Mauz, Malki at Izki, Maisir at Rustaq and Jaylah in the Eastern Hajar.

Wells are a vital source of water. The Wells Inventory project provided a comprehensive picture of the wells, their locations, the well pumps, the quality of the water and the uses of each well. There are 127,000 wells in the Sultanate distributed over 128 catchment areas. New wells are subject to conditions of the Law on the Conservation of Water Resources, Royal Decree No. 29/2000. Licences to drill new wells or deepen or replace existing wells are issued by the Ministry of Regional Municipalities, Environment and Water Resources.Current projects include the drilling of 56 public drinking water wells in various parts of the country.

Dams

   Play an important role in the development of water resources. There are three types of dams. The 1st type is the groundwater recharge dam ; the 2nd is the small surface storage dam , while 3rd is the flood protection dam.

   Among these methods are the implementation of projects for rainwater harvesting through the establishment of various types of dams that have proved effective in the development of water resources in the areas benefiting from it. In this regard, the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources accorded great significance to establishing dams. 32 groundwater recharge dams and 67 surface storage dams have been established in various governorates and regions in the Sultanate, in addition to 11 groundwater recharge dams and 22 surface storage dams are still under construction.

Groundwater Resources

The Ministry of Regional Municipalities, Environment and Water Resources has conducted several groundwater exploration projects threoughout the Sultanate where exploration wells were drilled to study the availability and characteristics of groundwater resources in terms of its quantity and quality.Several schemes were carried out in the South Batinah, the Dhahirah, Dhofar, the Sharqiyah, Dakhiliyah and in the desert area in the Wusta Region to study and monitor the water situation . All major operations have now been completed on the two main groundwater projects - the Hawdh al Masarrat Water Supply Scheme and on the Sharqiyah Sands aquifers.

Pipelines have been laid and water is currently being supplied to more than 10,000 houses. Water suitable for agricultural use has been discovered in the Nejd in the Dhofar, while potable groundwater stocks have been found in Wadi Rawnab in the Wusta Region.

 Renewable energy

Oman enjoys sunny weather throughout the year in addition to monsoon winds, providing conditions that can be utilised in energy generation projects. Both solar and wind energy are clean, renewable sources that can be used in an increasing number of projects, particularly in the more remote and inaccessible areas. Solar energy has been used to power parking meters in the capital area, as well as in large projects such as a water desalination plant, and to generate electricity for lighting projects in some remote areas of the North Batinah and power radio and television booster stations in several regions, including remote mountain areas. Wind energy is used to power the water pump in the Hailat al Rakah desalination plant.

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