Agreement signed to design and set up Aflaj Electronic Management System

Muscat: The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources on Monday signed a contract agreement for the design and setting up of a website and application for the Electronic Management System of Omani Aflaj “LMD”, in cooperation with the UNESCO Chair for Aflaj Studies at the University of Nizwa.

The project is funded by the Agricultural and Fisheries Development Fund and Digital Imagination for Technology Company.

The agreement was signed by Eng. Ali Mohammed Al Abri, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources for Water Resources, Abdulaziz Al Rawahi, Manager of the Company’s business development centre and Dr. Abdullah Al Ghafri from the UNESCO Chair for Aflaj Studies.

This project comes within the framework of water sector development projects in line with Oman Vision 2040.

It is an innovative system designed for managing the times of watering by Aflaj “ancient irrigation system or water channels”. The website and application will allow the owners of Omani farms to know their share in farm irrigation, its timing and astronomical rotation system.

The system and the website also provide many other services and indicators related to Aflaj.
Moreover, the system aims to preserve Omani history and introduce technology to Omani Aflaj by utilising the fourth industrial revolution (4IR).

It will also help the next generation in easily and conveniently identifying the times of watering by the Aflaj, in addition to preserving related information.

On the scientific forefront, the system will contribute to assisting Omani and international researchers and academics in the field of Aflaj, particularly by identifying Aflaj systems and their circulation.