26/07/2017 06:08 AST
Leading local and international consultancy firms are bidding for a consultancy services contract for the development of a Wastewater Master-Plan for the Governorates of Oman.
The client is wholly government-owned Oman Wastewater Services Company SAOC (Haya Water), whose original remit as the water reuse utility of Muscat Governorate has been expanded to cover wastewater collection and treatment, as well as treated effluent distribution, across the entire Sultanate, with the exception of Dhofar Governorate.
The selected consultant will be required to develop a detailed master-plan, complete with a capital investment programme, covering a 25-year horizon. Inputs for formulating this blueprint will be based on population forecasts, water demand and wastewater generation estimates, connection and coverage forecasts, treated effluent production, sludge generation, and various strategic master-plans of the government.
Additionally, the consultant shall review reports and strategies of various ministries, notably the Ministry of Tourism, Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW), and the Supreme Council for Planning.
Last year, Haya Water officials revealed that an investment in the order of RO 1.1 billion was envisaged in the development of modern wastewater reuse facilities outside of Muscat Governorate ( and excluding Dhofar) as part of its revised mandate as the nation’s principal water reuse utility. It also announced that it was progressively taking over the estimated 58 sewage treatment plants (STPs) and 820 kilometres of sewerage networks currently in operation in the various governorates of the Sultanate.
Importantly, the selected consultant will also conduct a number of feasibility studies to assess, among other things, the potential for revenue generation, use of modern water reuse technologies, and the application of various financing models.
One such study will concern the commercial utilisation of the prodigious volumes of treated effluent produced by the wastewater projects. The consultant is required to identify potential customers for this resource, as well as recommend innovative solutions for the integration of treated effluent systems with traditional irrigation networks. The management and disposal of sludge, and its use in the production of compost, are other issues that will be looked at during the consultancy phase.
Additionally, the master-plan will weigh the suitability of various natural sewage treatment technologies, such as reed beds, among other internationally proven technologies that meet Omani standards.
Further, to ensure the sustainability of managing wastewater schemes in various parts of the Sultanate, the consultant will propose options for businesses based, for example, on composting of sewage sludge, use of treated effluent in developing wetlands and supporting agricultural activities, and so on. The potential for some of the wastewater projects to be implemented on a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) basis will be explored as well.
Oman Daily Observer
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