Bahrain's underground wells have been neglected since 1980, says report

TDT | Manama    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Report by Zahra Ayaz

Significant negligence by the Municipal Affairs and Agriculture Ministry in evaluating Bahrain's underground wells during the last 40 years has been revealed.

The Bureau of Financial and Administrative Control made the public disclosure, and AlAyam, our sister publication, covered the story.

Meanwhile, the Ministry, Capital Secretariat, and three municipalities have explained that a public tender was initiated last November for a survey project.

However, the received bids exceeded the allocated budget, and the bidders did not meet the tender conditions.

Consequently, the ministry plans to reissue the tender in coordination with the Survey and Land Registration Authority to leverage their expertise in the field.

The oversight report also highlights the Ministry’s discontinuation of monitoring the quality and characteristics of groundwater extracted from production wells since December 2020.

This lack of oversight poses potential implications for public health and safety.

In response, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture has stated that it is currently developing a draft ministerial decision that would require the industrial and commercial sectors to submit certified laboratory reports on the quality of groundwater used in their facilities.

Additionally, the Ministry aims to provide field inspectors with a device capable of analysing the percentage of dissolved solids in water (TDS) and its pH during their visits.

Another significant finding in the report indicates that the Ministry has failed to take action against owners of groundwater wells who have not installed metres to measure the amount of water extracted, which is a violation of Article 20 of the Groundwater Law.

The Ministry has affirmed its commitment to address this issue and hold well owners accountable for installing metres and ensuring compliance with regulations.

Moreover, the report reveals that the ministry has stopped taking readings from the 2,480 mechanical groundwater well metres since March 2022, making it impossible to determine the quantity of water being withdrawn from these wells.

To rectify this situation, the Ministry has pledged to resume regular metre readings and emphasised the importance of encouraging well owners to install smart metres for streamlined data collection.

The report also highlights the Ministry's failure to inspect licenced groundwater well sites since January 2020.

With a total of 2,660 unmonitored wells, the ministry’s inability to identify potential violations poses a significant threat to Bahrain's groundwater resources.

In response to these concerns, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture has initiated a restructuring process for all its departments.

With the issuance of Decree No. 15 of 2023, the ministry aims to strengthen its human resources and enhance its capacity to effectively carry out inspection tasks.