Oman sees farm crisis as ancient canals run dry

Oman’s ancient aflaj system, once used in warfare by attackers to cut off precious water supply to communities under siege, is now facing dry spells that threaten farmers with lower crop production. The falaj -- widely viewed as an ancient remarkable feat of engineering although little is known about its origins -- collects groundwater through a natural infiltration process that then flows to the surface by gravity.

Oman has some 11,000 aflaj canals that are key to rural farming communities, in fact increasingly so. Oman’s agriculture ministry says aflaj water production has risen from 500 million cubic meters of irrigation water in 1985 to 1.6 billion in 2008. The ministry attributes the rise to the emergence of new farms. For many of the farmers dependent on aflaj, the system is their only water source because hooking up to the government’s water supply is too expensive.

Like much of the rest of the Middle East, Oman is struggling with a gap between water supply and demand. By 2025, water demand is expected to increase to 7.5 billion cubic meters. The gap is already effecting agricultural production. Khalfan Hamood al Toby, who owns a 90-hectare farm in Sawadi in Oman’s Batnah region, told