Army call-up on water not needed: PAEW
Instead, shortage hitting 15,000 will be eased by people going on holiday, says water boss
MUSCAT: The army will not be called in over the water shortage in Muscat, insists the chairman of Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW), who instead said the situation will ease when people go on holiday.
Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Mahrouqi, chairman of PAEW, also said there was nothing his organisation could do to prevent private water merchants overcharging the around 15,000 peo- ple affected by the shortage in areas such as Bausher, Muttrah, Ansab, Al Khuwair and Darsait.
On the sidelines of a press conference, he told Times of Oman, “The demand for water will decrease with many residents travelling out of Oman during the summer.”
There has been growing anger over the situation, including private water merchants charging exorbitant rates, while many have been forced to queue for hours for free supplies. But Al Mahrouqi said, “We provide the water for free, so we do not have a legal policy to regulate prices.”
He also added, “We stress that our services are free in case of a crisis. However, there is a point after which we cannot completely fulfil demands in a short time. But the distribution network is actually getting better.”
There have been suggestions that the Royal Army of Oman (RAO) should be involved in distribution of water to the affected areas, but the chairman said that there was no need to involve them as it was not an emergency.
“We are always coordinating with the armed forces and they support us in such cases and vice versa,” he said referring to the contribution of armed forces during Guno and Phet.