MAFWR builds solar energy stations for irrigation

MAFWR builds solar energy stations for irrigation

Muscat – With an aim to develop sustainable irrigation system in Oman, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources (MAFWR) is establishing solar energy stations to operate water pumps in Buraimi governorate.

The solar energy project, which is being developed as an alternative to conventional electric energy, is part of the programme to develop Falji al Buraimi and Sa’ra afla in Buraimi at a cost of over RO1.6mn.

Eng Nasser Ali al Marshodi, director, Directorate General of Agricultural, Fisheries and Water Resources in Buraimi, said, “The ministry provides Falji al Buraimi and Sa’ra with a network of modern irrigation systems to improve the management of irrigation water there and to increase the agricultural area, which will lead to an increase in agricultural productivity.”

The work is currently underway, in cooperation with the private sector, to establish five solar energy stations to operate water pumps from 41 auxiliary wells that supply the two villages with water, he added.

According to Marshodi, the project consists of three main parts, including underground tanks – of different capacities – for collecting falaj water, a control room with equipment and devices for operating the modern irrigation system, and an irrigation network that consists of valves, pipes, fountains, and