Muscat: The completion rate for the Wadi Saal Dam Project for groundwater recharge in the Wilayat of Jaalan Bani Bu Ali, South Al Sharqiyah Governorate, has reached over 86%. The project is being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources at a total cost of RO 3 million.

According to Oman News Agency, this project serves as a primary source for increasing water resources for the wilayats and villages dependent on Jaalan Bani Bu Ali. It aims to maximize the utilization of seasonal rainwater quantities, as the village of Wadi Saal is a convergence point for many tributary wadis.

The project is designed to ensure the continuity of groundwater reserves, enhance the sustainability of its usage, support agricultural development, and boost tourism aspects, given the village’s natural agricultural resources. It also encourages citizens towards environmental settlement.

Eng. Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Mukhaini, Director of the Department of Agricultural Wealth, Fisheries and Water Reso
urces in the Wilayat of Jaalan Bani Bu Ali, informed Oman News Agency that the dam’s storage capacity is 0.715 million cubic meters from a catchment area of 69 square kilometers.

Al Mukhaini explained that the dam is designed as an earthen dam with a length of 707 meters and a height of 8.5 meters, featuring a vertical concrete cutoff wall and a gravel face to protect the upper and lower layers. The dam also includes a concrete spillway measuring 140 meters in length, designed to discharge the maximum possible flood, and one control outlet for water discharge with a diameter of 600 mm. Additionally, there is a control room equipped with monitoring and control devices for the dam.

It is worth noting that this project is part of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources’ plan to implement six water dam projects of various types across the governorates to enhance water security and the sustainability of natural resources in the Sultanate of Oman.