Sultanate of Oman celebrated World Water Day under the theme of Making the Invisible Visible: Groundwater. Since the advent of the Omani Renaissance, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources and other departments have given great attention to the water sector. A total of 12 artificial rain stations have been established by the Ministry in order to increase the amount of rainfall, which will help increase the level of groundwater.
A project was implemented by the ministry in 2021 to connect 6 artificial rain stations using microwave communications. Oman has an estimated annual renewable water resource of 1,318 million cubic meters, and the demand for this resource is increasing, especially in the agricultural industry. Oman’s annual water deficit is estimated at 316 million cubic meters. There are 83% of water sources in Oman that are groundwater, followed by 10% that are desalinated. Surface water makes up 5%, whereas treated wastewater makes up 2%.
In recent years, a number of dam projects have been implemented in Oman as a means to feed the groundwater aquifer and prevent the aquifers from overlapping. The number of dams in Oman reached over 174 by the end of 2021. In 2021, 1274 new permits were issued, including 876 for digging new water wells.