Saturday 20 / April / 2024
Muscat: If all goes well, Oman’s waste management investments could total around OMR423.47 million, officials from the Sultanate’s waste management body said.
“Oman’s total investment for basic MSW (Municipal Solid Waste) infrastructure is expected to be around $150 million (OMR57.74 million), and the waste-energy-water project will have an approximate total investment of $750 million (OMR288.73 million) and the industrial waste infrastructure will be around $150+ million (over OMR57.74 million),” Essam Al-Sharji, section head, community outreach, Be’ah told Times of Oman.
Be’ah, which manages solid waste in Oman, has invited bids for many tenders on collection, transfer, treatment and recycling areas.
“The traditional methods of handling municipal solid waste in Oman need to be addressed as they contribute to the increasing amount of greenhouse gases being produced, affecting the Omani environment and human health,” Al Sharji said.
“As a priority to control the damage, Be’ah has embarked on an aggressive plan to close all dumpsites and replace them with modern engineered landfills and transfer stations across the Sultanate,” he added.
Outsourcing contracts are being floated as tenders, whereby experienced global firms will provide municipal waste management services, including pre-collection, collection, transportation, treatment, and disposal, officials said.
“Oman is comprised of 11 governorates and based on the quantity of waste and distances, 10 such contracts have been developed to cater to the needs of the whole country,” Al-Sharji added.
Be’ah said it plans to manage 80 per cent of the waste by 2030. Oman has nearly 317 dumpsites and four landfills. The Sultanate produced about 1.85 million tonnes of municipal waste in 2015, which is projected to reach 2.04 tonnes by 2040.
