Haya Water, the company behind the Muscat wastewater project, is carrying out a study with Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) on injecting treated water into Oman's aquifers to replenish the country's groundwater reserves.
The company estimates that it will produce 161,000m3 of treated water per day by 2018, but current supply already outstrips demand during the cooler and wetter winter months, when much of the treated water from its plants is pumped out to sea.
As a result, the Haya Water and SQU study - which will be ready in June - is investigating which aquifers could have the treated water injected into them, as well as how much could be pumped into each.
On the sidelines of the Oman Power and Water Summit, Hussain Hassan Ali Abdul Hussain, CEO of Haya Water, told Muscat Daily that injecting water into aquifers will help improve their water quality, with many in the Batinah region affected by high salinity levels.
He said, "In winter there is not too much demand for treated water, so we have to find a source for it.
"At the moment, we send it out to sea. We have more projects coming up, so the amount of water will rise and we have to find a use for the additional supply.
"Injecting unutilised water into aquifers is the right option for different reasons. It will improve quality, reduce salinity and it can be used as storage."
© Muscat Daily 2012
