MUSCAT, SEPT 29
The partnership of prominent engineering consultancy firm Renardet SA & Partners and UK-based HR Wallingford, specialists in flood defence maintenance and emergency planning, has been picked by the Omani government for a key study designed to bolster the country’s preparedness against flood risks.
The client is the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, which has tapped the partnership for a contract to provide ‘Consultancy Services for Updating and Preparing of Flood Hazard Maps and Preparation of Flood Risk Management & Emergency Plans’.
According to Boris Abris, a senior expert at Renardet Oman, the project is being carried out under two separate tenders – the first covering the governorates of Muscat, Dhofar and Musandam, and the other encompassing the governorates of North and South Al Sharqiyah, Wusta, Al Dakhliyah, Al Dhahirah and Al Buraimi.
Speaking at the Korea-Oman Green Industry Business Roundtable held in Muscat recently, Abris said the entire study is being undertaken in three phases. Phase A, focusing on rainfall and flow data analysis, will include a preliminary flood risk assessment as well as estimates of rainfall-runoff trends and peak floods. As part of Phase B, hydraulic modelling and flood hazard mapping will be undertaken. Finally, Flood Risk Management and Emergency Plans will be drawn up in Phase C.
The study, the expert noted, is not without its challenges. Much of Oman’s landmass, he said, is comprised of a complex geomorphology characterized by high mountains at the upper parts of basins, followed by flat areas towards the coastal zones, where population density is at its highest. Additionally, most streams are non-perennial with intermittent flow greatly varying during the year. Likewise, complex flow patterns with braided channels in flat areas, coupled with a lack of accurate actual hydrometric and hydrologic data of wadis, pose challenges for effective hydrologic and hydrodynamic modelling, he stated.
An explainer issued by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources in August underlined the importance of the initiative in helping categorise areas of flood risk based on their severity – minimum, medium and maximum. The updated maps will also support the operations of the National Emergency Management Committee when prioritizing the deployment of resources in the event of flood events. Furthermore, the flood risk maps will also be beneficial to urban planners who need to factor in potential flood hazards when planning future cities and civil developments.
Renardet Oman has a well-established track record in providing engineering consultancy and advisory solutions to authorities overseeing critical infrastructure, flood protection and related schemes in the country. UK partner HR Wallingford’s expertise supports policy, emergency planning, decision-making, and asset management through expert risk assessments.
The daylong business roundtable was organised by the Embassy of South Korea in the Sultanate of Oman, with the support of the Korean Ministry of Environment, Korea Environmental Industry and Technology (KEITI) and Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA). A number of Omani and Korean public and private sector organisations were represented as well.
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