15 February 2011
MUSCAT -- The government is preparing to put in place a major flood protection system designed to secure the rapidly urbanising suburbs of Muscat Governorate from severe flooding of the kind that inundated large swathes of the capital city during recent cyclonic storms.
The ambitious initiative, dubbed the Wadi Samayil Flood Protection Dams Project, will consist of a series of flood retention dams to be built in the upper catchment of Wadi Samayil -- one of the Oman's biggest wadis that cuts through the capital region en route to the sea.
When implemented in several phases, the project will provide a higher degree of protection to Seeb and Al Khoudh in Muscat Governorate, besides Samayil in the Dakhiliya Region, against flooding caused by cyclonic and regular rain.
In June 2007, floods inflicted significant damage to property and infrastructure in Seeb and Al Khoudh, among a number of coastal wilayats of the Sultanate.
As with all major flood protection schemes, the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources is overseeing the implementation of the Wadi Samayil Flood Protection Dams Project.
In the first phase of its implementation, a huge flood protection dam is proposed to be built about 7 km upstream of the existing Al Khoudh recharge dam, not far from the Al Khoudh Village.
Described as the cornerstone of the Wadi Samayil Flood Protection Dams Project, the proposed Al Khoudh Dam will consist of two key components: a 550-metre-long roller compacted concrete main dam rising some 60 metres above the foundation level; and a 500-metre-long embankment rockfill dam.
The latter structure, comprising a combination of lateral and saddle dams, will feature an asphaltic core, and will rise to a maximum height of 46 metres above the natural ground level.
A number of local and international construction firms are preparing to seek prequalification to participate in a key tender for the construction of the Al Khoudh Flood Protection Dam project.
Companies that have so far signalled a desire to bid for the contract include Desert Line Projects, Al Nahdha al Omaniah, Consolidated Contractors Co, Sarooj Construction, Aydiner Construction, Strabag, Galfar Engineering, Oman Shapoorji, Vinci, International Contractors, Monte Adriano ME, Hani Archirodon, China Railway, Al Adrak Trading, Paymab, Kayson Al Omania, STFA, Carillion Alawi, Premier International, Khalid bin Ahmed, Afcons Infrastructure, Al Nasr Contracting, and Simplex Infrastructures.
In addition to building the main, lateral and saddle dams, the selected contractor will also be required to construct a 300-metre wide spillway and appurtenant spilling basin to channel overflows into the existing downstream wadi channel. Also as part of its brief, the contractor will be required to install middle level and bottom outlet valves for the controlled release of reservoir water into the wadi downstream of the dam.
The new Al Khoudh Dam will also double as a recharge dam. Construction work is expected to commence before the end of 2011, with completion targeted some 48 months thereafter.
A further three upstream dams are envisaged as part the comprehensive Wadi Samayil Flood Protection Dams Project. These will be implemented in stages over the next several years, it is learnt.
Also as part of the elaborate flood protection scheme for Al Khoudh, Seeb and its environs, the existing Al Khoudh Recharge Dam is being reinforced and strengthened. The structure, constructed in 1985 at the far downstream end of Wadi Samayil, had suffered partial damage over the years inflicted by a series of severe flood events.
As part of the upgrade, currently under way, the recharge dam's original level of safety is being restored, while a new concrete crest wall will be embedded into the existing crest gabions to ensure a constant level of overspill in the event of flooding.
MUSCAT -- The government is preparing to put in place a major flood protection system designed to secure the rapidly urbanising suburbs of Muscat Governorate from severe flooding of the kind that inundated large swathes of the capital city during recent cyclonic storms.
The ambitious initiative, dubbed the Wadi Samayil Flood Protection Dams Project, will consist of a series of flood retention dams to be built in the upper catchment of Wadi Samayil -- one of the Oman's biggest wadis that cuts through the capital region en route to the sea.
When implemented in several phases, the project will provide a higher degree of protection to Seeb and Al Khoudh in Muscat Governorate, besides Samayil in the Dakhiliya Region, against flooding caused by cyclonic and regular rain.
In June 2007, floods inflicted significant damage to property and infrastructure in Seeb and Al Khoudh, among a number of coastal wilayats of the Sultanate.
As with all major flood protection schemes, the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources is overseeing the implementation of the Wadi Samayil Flood Protection Dams Project.
In the first phase of its implementation, a huge flood protection dam is proposed to be built about 7 km upstream of the existing Al Khoudh recharge dam, not far from the Al Khoudh Village.
Described as the cornerstone of the Wadi Samayil Flood Protection Dams Project, the proposed Al Khoudh Dam will consist of two key components: a 550-metre-long roller compacted concrete main dam rising some 60 metres above the foundation level; and a 500-metre-long embankment rockfill dam.
The latter structure, comprising a combination of lateral and saddle dams, will feature an asphaltic core, and will rise to a maximum height of 46 metres above the natural ground level.
A number of local and international construction firms are preparing to seek prequalification to participate in a key tender for the construction of the Al Khoudh Flood Protection Dam project.
Companies that have so far signalled a desire to bid for the contract include Desert Line Projects, Al Nahdha al Omaniah, Consolidated Contractors Co, Sarooj Construction, Aydiner Construction, Strabag, Galfar Engineering, Oman Shapoorji, Vinci, International Contractors, Monte Adriano ME, Hani Archirodon, China Railway, Al Adrak Trading, Paymab, Kayson Al Omania, STFA, Carillion Alawi, Premier International, Khalid bin Ahmed, Afcons Infrastructure, Al Nasr Contracting, and Simplex Infrastructures.
In addition to building the main, lateral and saddle dams, the selected contractor will also be required to construct a 300-metre wide spillway and appurtenant spilling basin to channel overflows into the existing downstream wadi channel. Also as part of its brief, the contractor will be required to install middle level and bottom outlet valves for the controlled release of reservoir water into the wadi downstream of the dam.
The new Al Khoudh Dam will also double as a recharge dam. Construction work is expected to commence before the end of 2011, with completion targeted some 48 months thereafter.
A further three upstream dams are envisaged as part the comprehensive Wadi Samayil Flood Protection Dams Project. These will be implemented in stages over the next several years, it is learnt.
Also as part of the elaborate flood protection scheme for Al Khoudh, Seeb and its environs, the existing Al Khoudh Recharge Dam is being reinforced and strengthened. The structure, constructed in 1985 at the far downstream end of Wadi Samayil, had suffered partial damage over the years inflicted by a series of severe flood events.
As part of the upgrade, currently under way, the recharge dam's original level of safety is being restored, while a new concrete crest wall will be embedded into the existing crest gabions to ensure a constant level of overspill in the event of flooding.
© Oman Daily Observer 2011
