Barka sewage, irrigation pipeline project completion rate reaches 78%

Barka: Work is ongoing on the execution of the “Project for Constructing Sewage and Irrigation Pipelines To and From the Hai Al Naseem Project and the Wastewater Treatment Plant in the Wilayat of Barka,” with the total completion rate reaching 78% at an overall cost of OMR1.4 million. This comes as part of continuous efforts to develop and strengthen the infrastructure of the water and wastewater sector in the Sultanate of Oman. The project aims to raise the efficiency of basic services directed to the Hai Al Naseem project in the Wilayat of Barka and its surrounding farms by laying networks that ensure environmental sustainability and maximise the utilisation of available water resources.Eng. Hassan Abdullah Al Farsi, Acting Director General of Development Projects for the Eastern Sector at Nama Water Services, stated that the project consists of an integrated pipeline network made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) materials with a total length of 19.429 kilometers, of which 15.207 kilometres have been executed so far. It includes six main connections, featuring a wastewater conveyance pipeline extending from Hai Al Naseem to the treatment plant in Barka with a length of 7,802 meters, with implementation of the line expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of this year.In a statement to Oman News Agency (ONA), he added that reclaimed water pipelines for irrigation are currently being executed. These include the main irrigation pipeline running from the wastewater treatment plant in Barka to Barka City, with a diameter of 500 millimetres and a total length of 8,806 meters, as well as a branch irrigation pipeline extending from the main line to Hai Al Naseem, with a diameter of 315 millimetres and a total length of 2,821 metres.He explained that the project reflects the Sultanate of Oman’s commitment to achieving the targets of Oman Vision 2040 within the pillar of environmental sustainability and integrated water resource management. The project achieves a set of objectives, including providing an integrated infrastructure by safely connecting the Hai Al Naseem project to the wastewater treatment plant in Barka, elevating operational reliability and efficiency, reducing breakdowns, lowering long-term operation and maintenance costs, and protecting groundwater by utilising reclaimed water for irrigation purposes and expanding green spaces to curb the depletion of aquifers.It also keeps pace with urban expansion and meets current and future population growth requirements in the Wilayat of Barka, alongside positive environmental and health impacts in reducing risks resulting from traditional wastewater disposal methods.Eng. Hassan Al Farsi pointed out that engineering flexibility was taken into account in the project’s design so that it serves as a foundation capable of future expansion and development. The current design allows for accommodating future population increases, connecting new residential neighbourhoods and land layouts to the public network, and increasing the quantities of transported treated water to be utilised in afforestation, food security, and economic development projects in the Wilayat of Barka. -ONA