Oman urged to align new projects with water availability

Water availability should be factored into decisions on new industrial, tourism, sporting and recreational projects in Oman as groundwater levels decline and coastal aquifers face seawater intrusion, a water specialist said.

Eng Hamad bin Khamis Al Hatmi, a member of the Oman Water Society, told the Water Resources Sustainability: Water and Climate Change symposium in Salalah that economic activity and future demand should be planned more closely around the availability and long-term capacity of local water resources.

His presentation said agriculture and green areas account for around 85 per cent of water demand, compared with about 15 per cent for municipal use, putting agricultural efficiency at the centre of the wider water-security challenge.

The presentation also cited a 2024 water-balance deficit of about 213 million cubic metres. Because earlier national estimates used different reference periods and may not be directly comparable, the figure is best treated as the estimate presented at the symposium rather than as evidence of a confirmed trend.

Official 2024 water-sector statistics show that 92 main desalination plants produced 455.36 million cubic metres of water, while 67 treatment plants produced about 119.5 million cubic metres of treated water.

Al Hatmi identified accelerating declines in groundwater levels, deterioration in coastal groundwater quality due to seawater intrusion and low agricultural output per cubic metre of water among the main pressures facing the sector.

Other challenges highlighted in the presentation included limited adoption of modern irrigation across significant agricultural areas, farming activity that is not always managed on an economic basis, population growth and urban expansion, and declining participation of the national workforce in agriculture.

Development planning

Al Hatmi said water resources should be taken into account when establishing new activities and projects with substantial water requirements, including industrial, tourism, sporting and recreational developments.

The presentation also called for demographic growth to be monitored and for planning strategies to reflect climatic conditions and resource availability, while reducing consumption patterns that lead to unnecessary water use.

One of the recommendations was to redistribute economic activities in line with the availability of water sources, linking development more directly to the capacity of local resources.

More value from every cubic metre

Agriculture featured prominently in the recommendations. Al Hatmi called for research findings to be translated into commercially viable farming projects that use modern technologies and maximise the economic value generated by every cubic metre of water.

The recommendations also called for better use of non-renewable aquifers, more research and innovation in non-conventional water sources, stronger efforts to attract qualified Omanis into agriculture and integrated catchment management through stakeholder participation, dedicated committees and continuous monitoring.

The two-day symposium, held on August 30 and 31 at Millennium Salalah, is organised by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources with Dhofar Municipality, Nama Dhofar Services and partner organisations including UNESCO and the Oman Water Society.