Muscat: The Ministry of Agricultural Wealth, Fisheries and Water Resources has completed major maintenance works on four vital dams across Muscat Governorate, Al Khoudh Dam, Upper Al Sareen Dam (1), Lower Al Sareen Dam (2), and the Al Amerat Protection Dam (B15).

The ministry confirmed that the works aimed to safeguard the original purpose of these dams, ensuring they maintain their total storage capacity of 13.39 million cubic metres. Beyond water storage, the dams play a critical role in replenishing groundwater reservoirs, supporting villages located downstream, and protecting facilities, homes, buildings, and farmlands from flood risks.

Engineer Yousef bin Masoud Al-Mundhiri, Director of the Dams Department, told Oman News Agency that periodic dam maintenance is essential to sustaining groundwater reserves and shielding population centres from the effects of severe weather. He added that all repair and upgrade works adhered to the highest technical and engineering standards.

The maintenance included the removal of accumulated silt deposits from dam lakes, clearing trees from dam bodies, installing new warning and guidance signs, setting up monitoring rooms, and fitting water-level measuring devices and surveillance cameras. Additional works covered installing and servicing valves, cleaning and lubricating water drainage gates, and repairing structural damage caused by previous weather conditions. These efforts, he said, significantly enhance the dams’ readiness and operational efficiency.

Al-Mundhiri emphasised that these dams are essential for improving water availability, strengthening wells and aflaj systems, and supporting agricultural productivity. He noted that the ministry continues to prioritise projects that reinforce water security across all governorates of the Sultanate.