Over a cup of kahwa, enjoy rain
The weather condition is something we cannot have control over, but how we handle it depends on our managing skills — from drainage system to avoiding risks
Published: 05:03 PM,Mar 23,2026 | EDITED : 08:03 PM,Mar 23,2026
What would we need to stay at home to be safe from flash floods?
One round of Omani kahwa? A good conversation?
All the three days of Eid, everyone must have enjoyed the festivities and hospitality. A major part of it is the serving of halwa followed by kahwa.
Then came the downpour on the second day of Eid. It was unfortunate that there were mishaps due to flash floods that also resulted in flooding of roads. Loss of life is painful. It reminds us how vulnerable we are next to nature.
The weather condition is something we cannot have control over, but how we handle it depends on our managing skills — from drainage system to avoiding risks.
On Saturday, many were caught off guard. The Royal Oman Police announced that, due to the expected heavy rains, the Al Amerat-Bausher mountain road will be closed as a precautionary measure.
The world was celebrating one more thing on March 22 — World Water Day, with the theme 'Water and Gender.'
The campaign is spearheaded by UN-Water to drive progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 6 (Water and Sanitation) and Goal 5 (Gender Equality).
Every year, UN-Water, the UN’s coordination mechanism on water and sanitation, sets the theme for World Water Day. In 2024, the focus was on Leveraging Water for Peace; in 2025, on Glacier Preservation. All these themes seem to need continuous attention.
According to unwater.org, more than three billion people worldwide depend on water that crosses national borders. 'Yet, out of 153 countries that share rivers, lakes and aquifers with their neighbours, only 24 countries report having cooperation agreements for all their shared water.'
The impact of the trough of low pressure brought in so much rain in different parts of Oman on March 21.
The Wilayat of Barka recorded the highest rainfall at 133 mm, followed by Bahla with 120 mm and Wadi Al Maawil at 96 mm. Other notable readings include Sur at 93 mm, Al Musannah at 83 mm, and Bidiyah at 80 mm.
The total amount of water impounded by dams due to the weather conditions that affected several governorates in the Sultanate of Oman between March 20 and 22 reached 24.47 million cubic metres.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources said that the amount of water retained in Muscat Governorate reached 5.7 million cubic metres in Wadi Dayqah Dam. In Al Batinah South Governorate, the water amount retained was 1.1 million cubic metres in Al Falij Dam, 5 million cubic metres in Al Taw Dam and 4.6 million cubic metres in Al Maawil Dam.
All good news to celebrate World Water Day.
What seemed to have been a pretty day quickly changed in tempo. Just before we were ready to get back to the regular routine, it was announced that classes will be conducted online and work can be handled from home. Remote work can also mean more rounds of kahwa, and conversations can be on many topics from geopolitics to topographical phenomena of wadis — the dry riverbeds.
The short-duration 'cloudbursts' that deliver months' worth of rain in just a few hours tend to overwhelm the soil's ability to absorb water, resulting in flash floods rushing down from mountains to reach the sea.
Today, Oman has numerous dams to feed aquifers.
Look back and think of water management in the past. The familiar scenes of Oman are the management of the flow of falaj water by farmers and women collecting water and using it for washing.
The BBC, meanwhile, reported on the UN's weather agency's warning that the Earth's climate is further out of balance than at any time in recorded history.
The World Meteorological Organization says that our planet is gaining much more heat energy than it can release, driven by emissions of warming gases such as carbon dioxide.
The report stated that this record 'energy imbalance' heated the ocean to new heights last year and continued to melt our planet's ice caps, and scientists fear that a natural warming phase called El Niño — expected to begin later this year — could soon bring further heat records.
So definitely, the weather is going to dominate our conversations in the next few days, and especially road safety. It is so easy to lose the path while on flooded service roads. It is best to stick to main roads, and if they are flooded, patiently wait for the water to pass through, or better still, stay at home until the weather condition improves.