Landverteilung und Oasensterben - Das Beispiel der omanischen Küstenebene Al Batinah

Abstract

The remarkable effort of the Oman government to develop the country and intensify the use of the agricultural resources after 1970 resulted in many reforms including those in agriculture. These involve land distribution, the use of technical implements and fertilizers, and above all the improvement of irrigation. In the coastal plain of Al Batinah these innovations spread quickly and the results are especially clearly visible. Here, the land distribution, the farm building and the use of motor-pumps lead to a disturbance of the unstable, hydrological and ecological balance. For instance, saline ground-water is advancing inland from the sea, the salt content of irrigation water is increasing and ground-water level is sinking. Consequently, the date-palms in the coastal oasis, used for centuries, are dying and the coastal oasis itself is shrinking. The government has recognized these problems and taken counter measures. It is not yet possible to estimate how successful they will be.