Gulf | Oman
Water shortage after deluge
After being deluged by killer cyclone Gonu, Muscat residents yesterday struggled to find drinking water as temperatures rose to above 30 degree Celsius.
- By Sunil K. Vaidya, Bureau Chief
- Published: 23:38 May 3, 2009
- The water supply by the Muscat Municipality has been badly affected in Ghubra, Ghala, Al Khuwair, Medinat Qaboos, Medinat Al Alam and the other areas in the north.
- Image Credit: Brian Espinosa/Gulf News
Muscat: After being deluged by killer cyclone Gonu, Muscat residents yesterday struggled to find drinking water as temperatures rose to above 30 degree Celsius.
"There's not a drop of water for the last two days in our house and in the area around us," Shobha Khimji, a resident of upscale Medinat Qaboos area said.
People were seen taking water from swimming pools as well as from the flooded wadis as taps went dry in most areas of the capital.
The water supply by the Muscat Municipality has been badly affected in Ghubra, Ghala, Al Khuwair, Medinat Qaboos, Medinat Al Alam and the other areas in the north. "There was a damage to water pipelines in Ghubra close to the water desalinisation plant," said Yahya Sueilmani, a resident of Ghubra.
With the road network in the city in a complete mess due to heavy rains and flooding, the supply of water by tankers was also badly affected. "We have rationed supply of tanker water as the demand has far exceeded our capacity to supply," Mohammed Shambe, a tanker driver told Gulf News yesterday.
Meanwhile, some people tried to cash in on the demand and charged double the amount for a water tanker. There were also reports about smaller supermarkets charging almost eight times more for a mineral water bottle.
National Mineral Waters began distribution of water from their Ghala depot but were inundated with requests for water. "We have had over 10,000 requests within hours of announcing the supply," a spokesman for the company said. The National Mineral Waters produce Tanuf, country's first bottled drinking water for over two decades.
The food supply was another problem with residents besieging the city's two biggest retail chains like LuLu Hypermarkets and Carefour Hypermarket. "The supply from wholesalers to the retailers is badly affected," Shanavaz Ahmed, General Manager Abdul Fatah Mohammed Noor Co LLC, a major supplier of foodstuff, vegetables and fruits in the market told Gulf News yesterday.
"It is difficult to resume supply due to broken down road links, lack of staff, drivers and closure of ports and airport," he pointed out.
With short supply prices went up, including that of bakery items. "There are no fresh vegetables, meat, eggs, or fish at the moment in the marker and it would take days before fresh food could come into the retail market," he reckons.
The fuel was also rationed as most fuel stations were giving only 20 litre of petrol to consumers, who were taking fuel in jerry cans as their vehicles were either stranded or roads links prevented them to drive to a petrol station.
The country's air space, however, was opened yesterday so was the port in Sohar but major road links remained broken down, cutting off one part of the country from another. "We are trying our best to restore road links," Colonel Abdullah AL Harthy, Head of Public Relations at the Royal Oman Police (ROP), told Oman FM radio yesterday.
He appealed people to be patient. "It is our morale obligation to help residents but be patient as we try to reach everywhere.
Naval ships, with generators, were sent to the eastern coast to help residents with supplies of food and water.
The government efforts are on a war footing but the scale of damage is massive for them reach everywhere at the same time.
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