Project to make better use of water

MUSCAT: Oman is currently making preparations for implementing a project for optimising management of water resources using latest technologies.

The Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources is implementing this ‘decision support system project’. The project will be implemented in three phases. The first phase (analysis and evaluation) will include compilation and review of available data on water resources in or outside the ministry, especially data related to economic, social and demographic development of the Sultanate.

The most important model (mathematical) is ‘Water Resources Monitoring’. This phase will include compilation of all hydrological monitoring data, including precipitation, wadi flows, water levels in aflaj, wells and groundwater salinity. The system will integrate all data for calculating averages, trends and statistics for all hydrological elements as well as display data in the form of graphs.

The second model is ‘Assessment and Management of Water Resources’. It includes water studies such as the study of updating water balance in the Sultanate, study of water demand and the economic, social and environmental aspects of water. The third model, ‘Environmental Assessment’, will identify environmental challenges, suggest appropriate measures and identify priorities to address risks that may pose threat to the ecosystem, in particular, sea water intrusion in the coastal reservoirs.