Marketing and advertising era

Managing Water Resources

in Oman for Sustainability

Done by:

Buthaina Al Yaqoobi 16-0226

Introduction:

How to better manage water resources in Oman sustainably?

Currently, as Oman is moving towards population growth and witnessing a significant

development in several fields, the water consumption in the country will be gradually affected.

Another major issue facing the country is the marine and coastal pollution in and around the

country. Oman has a coastline of 1700 km long, which being affected by oil pollution, this

pollution is caused by an operational discharge comes from ships passing through the Gulf of

Oman, this is involved on the availability of desalinated water. Along with this growth the water

becomes scarcer, thus the importance of how it is managed grows vastly.

Introduction

• Determining water uses and finding a balance between humans need and what is needed in the environment are an essential procedure in the sustainability of water resources. The objectives of the study are to define the issues in managing water resources in Oman and to identify the potential solutions. This research will advantage to provide new water resource alternatives and better management of existing resources in Oman to give a solution before any problem emerge, in addition to raise awareness between people about the significance of water conservation.

Literature Review

• According to a research (Ahmed, Prathapar, Al-Belushi, Al-Busaidi & Al- Haddabi, 2003), one of the options that can support to manage water resources in Oman is greywater, which is water draining from a household “greywater can be a cost effective alternative source of water; and it can be used to further sustainable development and resource conservation without compromising public health and environmental quality”.ⅰ

• Seawater desalination is one of the main water sources for coastal areas like Muscat as stated in article (Al Barwani & Purnama, 2010) “To manage the future water demands in Oman, the Oman Power and Water Procurement Company was established in 2005, and one of its responsibilities is to procure the production of desalinated water”.ⅱ

• As an arid and dry country Oman has limited water resources that are going to get depleted if it not managed better or if new source isn’t explored in the near future. Stated by a research (Ahmed & Mohammed, 1994), “Water availability could be increased through different technical options. The major concern is how can the society use and allocate water resources among its members.”ⅲ

Methodology

• For this study, the data will be collected and maintained from different institutions such as the Ministry of Regional Municipalities, & Water Resources and Oman Water Society. The data include types of water resources in Oman, statistics and amounts of the existing water as well as the problems these resources are facing. The collecting of data will be done in several steps beginning with the planning and followed by survey development, survey deployment, data analysis, reporting, and ending with Consultation & Review (Figure 1).

Preliminary Data

• The growth in the population, as well as the development in urban and economic sectors increases the request for water and makes water scarce in the country. The main problem in managing water resources that there is no balance between water usage and water abundance and availability as Oman is an arid and dry country. Not protecting groundwater resources may cause water crisis as well. In addition, resources (Well and falaj) must be developed and maintained to save and protect water. Also, increase the number of desalination plants and wastewater treatment plants can be effective in water management.

Statement of Limitations

• The study approved that old methods of water resources must be maintained and developed to save water, in addition increasing the number of desalination plants and wastewater treatment plants can help to cover water demand within time. However, as a student my research may would have possible limitations, like the lack of previous studies and reports on the topic, the nonresponding of the employees who should fill in the questionnaires or the difficulty in the communication with them while conducting the surveys. In addition, the information found based on questionnaires may be not factual.

Conclusion

• Water resources management is how we will preserve a sustainable balance between water demand and supply through the next years, as well as finding solutions to maintain water and protect its resources. The management of Oman water resources is going to be fundamental with the population growth the country is currently experiencing. It is recommended that water resources must be preserved at the present time and for future. In order to reduce water consumption, strategies and control programs have to be established to help in conserving water and covers water demands.

Research Methodology Chart:

The data will be collected by using questionnaires and surveys distributed

among these companies and institutions. Secondary data is going to be utilized from

previous related studies.

A questionnaires and surveys are chosen as data collection tools. They will be used in a

closed format with a three-point scale of agree, disagree and neutral, also some short answer

questions.

The questionnaires are going to be distributed to a sample of 25 employees of different gender and nationalities from different institutions to examine the situation from different views.

Three assistants will be deployed to distribute and conduct these surveys and questionnaires.

The data will be examined by the assistants and compared to the previous annual reports done by the same institutions to finally drew out the

major findings and conclusion.

The three assistants will then analyses and present the data in tables, graphs and text form as well as reporting the final results

out of the data they collected from the surveys.

The information will be review back, examined in consultation with the assistants

and evaluated again to ensure that the information collected are correct.

Figure 1: Research methodology

References:

- Ahmed M. ,Prathapar S.A. ,Al-Belushi A. , Al-Busaidi A. & Al-Haddabi M.. (2003). Greywater

reuse potential in Oman. Available:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236612510_Greywater_reuse_potential_in_Oman. Last

accessed 13th Oct 2017. ⅰ

- Barwani, A. A. (2014, May 13). (PDF) Water Resources Management Practices in the Sultanate

Oman. Retrieved from

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/299453104_Water_Resources_Management_Practices_

in_the_Sultanate_Oman

- Al Barwani H. & Purnama A. (2010). Seawater Desalination in Oman .Available:

https://www.squ.edu.om/Portals/33/Publication/Horizon/200.pdf. Last accessed 13th Oct 2017. ⅱ

- Ibnouf, M & Abdel-Magid, I. (1994). Oman Water Resources: Management, Problems and Policy

Alternatives. Available:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272171794_Oman_Water_Resources_Management_Pr

oblems_and_Policy_Alternatives . Last accessed 13th Oct 2017. ⅲ