Muscat: With the opening of the ambitious Wadi Dhayqah Dam people of Quriyat have heaved a sigh of relief for supply of potable water.
"This (Wadi Dayqah Dam) is the best project to happen to us for water resources in our area," Yahya Al Salmani, an Omani resident from Quriyat, told Gulf News.
However, he was not sure if the dam would provide protection against flooding in Quriyat and subsequently downstream to Amarat and onwards.
"For that we need another protection dam on Wadi Hayl Ghaf," Al Salmani said, explaining that the Dhayqah Dam will store water flowing from Wadi Dima Wa Tayyin, which is not the one that caused floods in Quriyat.
"Al Mazara oasis where the dam is built is about 25 kilometres away from area (in Quriyat), which was badly damaged during two cyclones in the past," he pointed out.
Explaining further, he said that water stored at Dhayqah Dam flows through Hail Ghaf and Dagmar towards sea while water in Wadi Meglas was running through Quriyat and caused damage in the past.
Therefore, Al Salmani is not sure how Wadi Dhayqah Dam would help protect Quriyat from flooding in case of incessant rains.
"We lost farms, animals, houses and other properties from damages caused by Gony and Phet cyclones," he said. The Environment Ministry employee reckons that there should be a protection dam over Wadi Meglas to avoid potential risk of flooding in Quriyat from tropical cyclones and heavy rains.
He also thinks that more recreational facilities or activities should be created at the newly built picturesque dam.
"Already the dam is crowded with visitors during holidays and in coming days it is going to be one major attraction for the tourists," he said.
Al Salmani suggested more recreational facilities for tourists at the dam. The dam, which was formally opened by Sayeed Fatik Bin Fahar Al Saeed, Secretary-General at the Ministry of Heritage and Culture, on Monday, has capacity to provide 35 million cubic metres of water annually.
The storage capacity of the dam is around 100 million cubic metres and the depth of the wadi is around 73.8 metres.
Ahmad Bin Abdullah Bin Mohammad Al Shuhi, Minister of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources, said that dam projects in the county were aimed at developing water resources and enhancing the water status.
He added that the dam would be a strategic reservoir for water supply and was expected to contribute to the development of water resources in Quriyat as well as parts of Muscat.
The Wadi Dhayqah Dam is designed to store flood water, which otherwise flows into the sea. "The dam will also help control the actual consumption of water used in irrigation in the villages and areas near the wadi path and below the dam," the minister said.
He revealed that stored water in the dam would also be utilised to avail potable water in Quriyat. According to Al Suhi, the Wadi Dhayqah Dam project includes two dams, one is the main dam and the other is the side dam with the storing lake.
The dam is provided with a tower to control the water discharge. When the dam is full, the storing lake will cover 350 hectares of land that extends for si- km to the upper part of the dam body. The average circumference of the lake when full will be 28 kilometres.
