Muscat – Muscat Municipality is implementing slope protection works at Al Qurum Al Sarooj in Muscat in efforts to protect the beach from erosion.

The beach along Grand Hyatt Muscat bore the brunt of Cyclone Shaheen in October 2021, when large chunks of grass pavements were swept away. Although earth was dumped on the slopes after the cyclone, waves continue to slowly erode the loose embankment.

A statement issued by Muscat Municipality said, ‘The municipality is implementing a coastal erosion protection project to safeguard the slopes at Al Qurum Al Sarooj beach in the wilayat of Bausher, over a length of 1,400m, using metal panels, reinforced concrete and gravel lined with cement. A 1.5km walkway will also be constructed besides the reinforced stretch.’

The work is expected to be completed by the end of 2023, it stated.

Musallam al Shukairi, a resident of Shatti al Qurum, writing to Muscat Daily following erosion of beaches in his area, said that there was an attempt to fill the eroded land with soil to prevent further deterioration, but it did not help much. “There is urgent need to refill lost soil and construct a solid pavement or wave breakers to prevent further soil erosion.”

He also said that there was need of proper steps for people to access the beach instead of the current situation “where people walk to the beach from anywhere, resulting in more soil erosion”.

Rising sea levels create stress not only on the physical coastline, but also on coastal ecosystems. Saltwater intrusions lead to contamination of freshwater aquifers, many of which sustain municipal and agricultural water supplies and natural ecosystems.

A study conducted by Sultan Qaboos University in 2014 – titled ‘GIS-based framework for the simulation of the impacts of sea level rise and coastal flooding on Oman’ – found that the sultanate is highly vulnerable to climate change-induced sea level rise (SLR).

‘At the national scale, nearly 400sqkm of land area is projected to be inundated under the smallest SLR scenario, while under the highest SLR scenario, over 900sqkm will be potentially inundated. An assessment of the vulnerability of productive land use showed that the governorates of Batinah and Muscat are the most vulnerable under all SLR scenarios,’ the study stated.

The Environment Authority is currently coordinating with concerned authorities to develop solutions, including wave breakers and depositing sand on the beaches undergoing rapid erosion.