The total number of water licences issued during May this year amounted to 913, varied between requests for registration and surveys of wells, requests for licensing wells, requests for dams and aflaj, requests for well-drilling contractors and others for various development projects, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources.
Al Dakhiliyah Governorate topped the list with 242 licences, followed by North Al Batinah with 156, Al Dhahirah 143, South Al Batinah 131, North Al Sharqiyah 120, South Al Sharqiyah 49, Al Buraimi 36, Muscat 16, Dhofar 9, Al Wusta 6, and finally Musandam Governorate five licences.
Maqbool bin Hussein al Rawahi, Director of the Water Licensing Department at the ministry, said the ministry issued water licences out of its keenness to make optimal use of water resources in a manner that ensures a balance between the available and required quantities for various uses.
He explained that during the past two years, the ministry worked on updating the regulations according to the nature of the water situation in the country. “It worked to facilitate the conditions and controls related to issuing water licences to comply with the requirements necessary for the optimal use of this water wealth on the one hand, and the actual needs of community members on the other hand," he added.
The ministry works to rationalise the use of water resources to ensure a balance between the quantities available and required for various services. The total number of water licences issued for various uses in 2020 reached 3,196 licences.
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