Water supply restored to Muttrah

By Fahad Al Ghdani — MUSCAT: Jan. 1: Water supply was restored on Sunday morning to the residents of Muttrah who had no water for nearly 24 hours due to a pipeline burst. The Public Authority for Water and Electricity (PAEW) said its team rushed to the spot and fixed the problem in less than 24 hours. “Water pipeline repairs usually take 24-48 hours. If water tanks had been installed in homes, residents wouldn’t have had to suffer much,” said a source at PAEW. Salim al Ghammari, a Municipal Council member, said the PAEW’s requests to the house owners to install water tanks have gone in vain. “Many residents suffered as there were no water tanks in their homes. They were depending on direct connections,” he said.

He said most of those affected were tenants and not owners. “Most owners don’t bother to install water tanks in their houses. Tenants should insist on water tanks,” said Al Ghammari. “In many areas, it is difficult for water tankers to enter the streets because they are narrow,” said Tawfiq al Lawati, a Majlis Ash’shura member representing Muttrah. Authorities should have a contingency plan since there will be more such incidents in areas like Muttrah, where water pipelines are old, he said. “Residents have to spend a lot of money to buy water in such situations,” said Al Lawati.