Safe, clean drinking water for all in Oman, reveal NCSI data

Muscat: Almost the entire population of the Sultanate was provided drinking water services in a controlled and safe manner during the 2014-2016 period, according to a new report from the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).
According to the report, the percentage of the Sultanate’s population who have access to clean and safe drinking water sources rose by 3.8 per cent during the period of 2014-2016.
While 98 per cent of the urban population and 99 per cent of those in rural areas were provided drinking water services in a controlled and safe manner during the same period, the report revealed.
The National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) recently released the fourth of its series of issues of (Towards the Achievement of Sustainable Development Goals 2030), with each issue addressing 1 of the 17 goals of the plan.
This fourth issue highlights the sixth goal of sustainable development that focuses on ‘Clean water and hygiene’ in Oman.
The sixth goal ensures the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation services for all and includes 8 targets that are measured by different indicators.
According to the report, the first target of the sixth goal of the 2030 sustainable development goals is to achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all 2030.
The percentage of the Sultanate’s population who have access to clean and safe drinking water sources increased by 3.8 per cent during the period of 2014-2016, while 98 per cent of the urban population and 99 per cent of those in rural areas were provided drinking water services in a controlled and safe manner during the same period.
As for the target of achieving the goal of universal access to proper sanitation and hygienic services by 2030, the report showed that 99 per cent of the country’s population benefits from well managed sanitation services in the year 2014, with about 99.2 per cent of them in the urban areas and 98.4 per cent in rural areas.
The report stated that there was a Zero effect of wastewater on the environment and human health in Oman, as it is being treated by 100 per cent safety methods. The target of improving the quality of the water has also been achieved by reducing pollution, preventing the disposal of hazardous wastes and chemicals, minimizing the leakage of hazardous wastes and chemicals, reducing the proportion of untreated sewage to half, and using recycled materials.
The report also highlights the purpose of achieving a significant increase in the water-use efficiency across all sectors, and ensuring sustainable withdrawals and supply of fresh water in order to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity by 2030. The rate of pressure on water consumption, which is represented by the rate of withdrawal of fresh water supply across all major sectors in the Sultanate, reached 128 per cent in the year of 2018, which is considered as medium to high level.
As for the target of implementing an integrated management of water resources at all levels by several means, including trans-boundary cooperation by 2030, and based on the questionnaire conducted by the United Nations on the implementation of an integrated management for water resources, the index shows that the current status of the Sultanate is among the level of low to medium, reaching 38 per cent.
The Sultanate has implemented specific programs on communication, education and public awareness with regard to the protection and restoration of ecosystems related to water resources, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes, by the year 2030. These programs are implemented to achieve the participation of major groups of stakeholders and to adopt the strategic and operational tools aimed to implement the Ramsar Convention (the International Treaty for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Wetlands) by adopting certain measures at the local and national levels and through the ongoing international cooperation in this field.
The NCSI, in cooperation with the relevant authorities in the Sultanate, is responsible for monitoring the indicators of the sustainable development goals 2030 by providing the necessary data and indicators according to international standards.
The global implementation of 2030 sustainable development plan started in 2016. This plan is considered a transformational action plan based on the 17 sustainable development goals and aims at addressing urgent global challenges by 2030.
To access the complete data of this report, please visit the NCSI website www.ncsi.gov.om