The demand for potable water in the Sultanate of Oman is increasing by over 20 per cent annually, and would need 290 MCM of domestic water in 2040, entailing an additional RO 377.2 million ($981 million) in production costs, according to the organisers of the Oman Water Week.
Some studies suggest that Oman’s population could almost double in the next 15 years, thanks to a plethora of development projects, mainly in the water sector which would trigger the demand for more water, according to the studies.
This increasing water demand seeks to cover 98 per cent of the population by 2040 through integrated systems that ensure constant improvement of services that bring them up to global standards.
While 448.78 million m3 water was supplied, Oman had treated 96.03 million m3 effluent production, and there has been a 22.50-per cent increase of beneficiaries of treated wastewater services.
As much as 290,690 tonnes of CO2 (GHG) emissions were reported in Oman last year while the water losses amounted to 177.79 million m3. There were $2.71 billion estimated water projects, $1.619 billion estimated wastewater projects and 51 per cent treated wastewater utilisation in the country in 2024.
According to the Nama Water Services analysis, the demand for indigenous water in Oman comes from four sectors. They include domestic, industry, commerce and municipalities.
Of the agricultural sector about two thirds of water is derived from wells and one third from aflaj.
An attempt to pay strategic attention to the increasing demand for potable water is given at the Oman Water Week, Oman's largest gathering for water professionals to be held under the auspices of HH Sayyid Dr Fahad Al Julanda al Said, Vice-Chancellor of Sultan Qaboos University, from April 6 to10 at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre, hosted by Nama Water Services.
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