Muscat – The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources (MAFWR) is executing a project to assess the groundwater salinity of several wells in the wilayats of Barka and Musannah in South Batinah. 

The objective is to monitor the water quality changes in wells situated along the coast and to understand the effects triggered by the interplay of fresh and saltwater.

Ahmed bin Ibrahim al Esayi, Director of Water Resources Department in the Directorate General of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, South Batinah, stated that the project aligns with ongoing efforts to safeguard and develop water resources, both in terms of quantity and quality. 

“One of the critical objectives is to tackle the seawater intrusion phenomena in coastal areas.”

Esayi elaborated that the groundwater salinity measurement project, spearheaded by MAFWR, targets approximately 1,400 wells along the Batinah coast and the Salalah Plain. 

The project intends to regularly monitor the water quality changes in wells located in these regions every five years, providing an insight into the effects induced by the interaction of fresh and saltwater.

Currently, samples are being collected from wells in Barka and Musannah on the Batinah coast. “The sampling will continue till the end of this month. The collected data will provide a current overview and reveal the degree of saltwater intrusion, following the specific methodology adopted for this study.”