The District of Hat, in the Governorate of Maharah, has been facing severe drought and water scarcity. The climate in this area is semi-arid, but its inhabitants have been dependent on agriculture and camel breeding as their main sources of livelihood. The provision of water through the expansion of a water collection pond has had a positive impact for humans and animals in the area.

Previously, the inhabitants used to travel long distances to adjacent areas to seek water, or to buy them from commercial wells that had been dug in the area, says Faleh bin Aboud who praised the intervention by the Public Works Project, which he said is responsive to the needs of the residents in the area.

Bin Aboud asserts that the implementation of the pond’s expansion in Hat has had profound health and economic impacts on the lives of people, by providing adequate volumes of clean water- enough to cover daily consumption needs for domestic use, for animals, and for agriculture in this semi-arid area.

Livestock Production

Salim Alawi, a farmer, speaks about the impact of the sub-project implemented by the PWP from an economic perspective, and how the provision of water to the area has had a positive impact in camel breeding - which the area is famous for - and the production of animal fodder. Residents would no longer need to import fodder from neighboring countries or buy them from distant regions at high costs.

Unregulated Drilling

The expansion of the water pond has limited unregulated water wells drilling in the region - preventing the harmful impacts on groundwater which has been so severely depleted to the point where most of the well have dried up. Other wells have had to be deepened by tens of meters into the ground. The sub-project had contributed to the improvement of living conditions of the residents and displaced people in the area, and gained the full satisfactions of the beneficiaries - especially when they see the pond full of water surrounded by lush green foliage.