MUSCAT: A partial collapse of a wastewater treatment collection basin at the Nizwa Wastewater Treatment Plant, that caused major flooding at the Nizwa Market in Al Dakhiliyah Governorate on Friday has been contained, the Nama Water Services (NWS) has confirmed.

The partial collapse was due to a break in the pipe feeding the lake. “The site was also secured without stopping treatment operations and services,” NWS said in a statement. The breakdown of the plant led to the flow of sewage water to Lake Kalbu and the surrounding areas, including the popular Souq and market in Nizwa.

Engineer Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Nuaimi, CEO of Operations and Maintenance at NWS, explained that “there is no significant environmental damage resulting from the flow of water, as it is triple-treated water and does not contain any odors.”

He confirmed in a statement to the Oman News Agency that a committee was established to assess the damages, which was formed in coordination with the Office of the Governor of the Interior, the Municipality of Nizwa, the Nizwa Market Administration, and the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Nizwa. “The team has already begun its work to assess the damages and losses resulting from this collapse and we are committed to compensating those affected according to the assessment,” he said.

He pointed out that the wastewater treatment plant in Nizwa, which was established in 2008, receives about 11,000 cubic meters per day and works with the latest technologies to treat water triplet with high purity in accordance with international best practices.