Maintenance and Rehabilitation work begins on 25 water springs in Dhofar governorate

Salalah: The General Directorate of Agricultural Wealth, Fisheries and Water Resources in Dhofar Governorate, represented by the Water Resources Department, is carrying out maintenance and rehabilitation work on 25 water springs in some states of the governorate, with the aim of preserving and sustaining them and preserving their natural resources.

The Directorate is keen to develop springs in the Dhofar Governorate and preserve its natural resources for the purpose of benefiting from them and ensuring their proper exploitation, through developing and maintaining its facilities and using its water to be frequenting areas for members of the community.

Eng. Ali bin Bakhit Bait Saeed, Director of the Directorate’s Water Resources Department, told the Oman News Agency that the Ministry is carrying out maintenance and rehabilitation work on 25 water springs in various states of the Dhofar Governorate, including 11 springs in Salalah and 5 springs in Taqah, in addition to 4 springs in Rakhyut, and 3 springs in Mirbat. One spring in each of the states of Thumrait and Dhalkoot, and it is expected to be completed in the first half of 2024.

He explained that the rehabilitation and maintenance work includes building tanks to collect spring water for various uses, constructing a fence around some water basins, and building the necessary protections to protect these resources from the threat of floods, given that most of the springs are located near valley streams, in addition to constructing basins designated for watering livestock, which It contributes to the development of livestock and agricultural wealth in the areas near these springs.

He pointed out that water monitoring data in 2023 recorded a decrease in the amount of water flowing to the main springs in Dhofar Governorate (Garziz, Razat, Hamran, Tobruk), to reach about 10 million cubic metres, compared to the year 2022, which amounted to about 12 million cubic metres, while it was recorded In 2010, the lowest amount of flowing water was 4.4 million cubic metres.

The Director of the Water Resources Department at the General Directorate of Agricultural Wealth, Fisheries and Water Resources in Dhofar Governorate pointed out that the spring water in the governorate is good and suitable for drinking from its natural sources and is used for watering livestock, and is an important tributary to the sustainability of wildlife in the governorate, pointing to the exploitation of these springs in the past, such as: the Hamran spring. And the Razat water spring, for irrigating the surrounding agricultural lands. To produce agricultural crops such as grains, legumes, coconuts, sweet potatoes, and animal feed.

The General Directorate of Agricultural Wealth, Fisheries and Water Resources in Dhofar Governorate collects water data from hydrometric monitoring stations. To create a scientific water database capable of identifying the important changes that occur in the water of those springs, as the flow, salinity and temperature of the main springs in the governorate are measured periodically to determine the quantity and quality of their water.

The rains of the Dhofar Khareef season, which begins astronomically from June 21 to September 21, are the main feeder for the underground reservoirs from which most of the permanent springs in the governorate spring, while some of these springs are seasonal, with their springs and waterfalls flowing during the rainy season. These springs also have many benefits, as they are considered one of the important tourist attractions in the Dhofar Governorate – especially during the fall season – and a safe haven for wildlife and migratory birds that attract photography enthusiasts from different countries of the world, and a destination for hiking enthusiasts. It is noteworthy that the Governorate of Dhofar is abundant with water springs, numbering about 360 permanent and seasonal water springs, most of which are concentrated in the mountainous areas, valleys, and the edges of the mountains adjacent to the coastal plain, in addition to some springs in the Najd region in the Dhofar desert.