Search for Fresh Water in the Trucial States 1950/60s

Monitoring Water Levels

Water levels and water quality in wells and boreholes were carried out at quarterly intervals at some 100 sites around Trucial States. Flows and water quality from 25 springs and fallages were measured. Many were in a bad state of repair. A programme of rehabilitation was established, using Omani falaj specialists from Ibri.

Omanis required payment in Maria Therese Dollars
They did not trust paper currency!

Agriculture, Trade and Water

Often stream flows and pools were utilised for agriculture. These were improved by constructing concrete diversion weirs and channels to provide a reliable water source for local farmers.

Wadi Qor at Howeilat was one of the trade routes from Trucial States into Oman. A coffee house and resting place established next to the channel. Hammond Innes visited the area when researching for his book "The Doomed Oasis", based on 1950s Saudi Arabian territorial incursions at Al Liwa and Al Ayn/Buraimi Oases concerning water, oil and mineral rights.
In his book "A Harvest of Journeys", Hammond Innes writes that this coffee house is "No Tea House of the August Moon"

Trucial States Population

Approximate population for each of the Trucial States for 1965 was:

TRUCIAL STATES POPULATION

Abu Dhabi	20,000
Dubai	65,000
Sharjah	10,000 (excluding RAF Sharjah)
Ajman	3,000
Umm Al Qawain	4,000
Ras Al Khaimah	11,000
Fujairah	4,000
TOTAL	125,000

The first official census took place in approx. 1970.

Approx. metered water supply consumption in 1965 was in the order of:

Abu Dhabi	1,500 m3/day
Dubai	2,500 m3/day
Sharjah	1,500 m3/day (including RAF Sharjah
Ras Al Khaimah	1,000 m3/day

Development of Urban Areas

From 1966 onwards, there was increasing pressure on the supply of potable groundwater.

Wellfields and pipelines had already been established for Abu Dhabi (at Tawi Sa'ad to the west of Al Ayn;
for Dubai (at Tawi Awir to the west of Dubai);
for Sharjah (at Bidayat); for Ras al Khaimah (in the Wadi Bih to the east of Ras al Khaimah).

Ajman's supply was a spur main from Sharjah.

Umm al Qawain, Kelba, Fujairah, Khor Fakkan and Dibba relied on slightly brackish hand dug wells close to the coastline.

All these supplies were monitored at quarterly intervals by the survey.

Water supply for Umm al Qawain was commissioned in the late 1960s from a small wellfield to the north of Falaj al Mu'alla with a pipeline to Umm al Qawain.

East Coast Settlements Water Supply

Lined wells were hand-dug to the west of the settlements and provided with pumping equipment. Standpipes were located around the area.

Additional boreholes were continuously being drilled and test pumped throughout the late 1960s for the expansion of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah plus laying of larger diameter pipelines from the water sources.

Local Water Drilling Company

Nasr Abdullatif and his son, Issa Nasr owned and operated the only local water drilling company. They had a small number of percussion drilling rigs. Other percussion drilling rigs were owned by Dubai Water Supply and the Trucial States Council.

Where deep drilling was required (e.g. at Khatt Springs) to investigate source of geothermal springs and pools, George Stow and Company were utilized. This company, along with Geoprosco, were based in Abu Dhabi and contracted to Abu Dhabi Oil Company for drilling of water boreholes supporting oil and gas exploration.

Close Co-operation

Dubai Water Supply and the Water Resources Survey worked cloely together. Assistance was provided to Dubai Water Supply in locating new boreholes at Awir and testing of new sources to south of Awir.

When there was any lull in Dubai Water Supply drilling, the rigs were loaned to the Water Resources Survey to drill additional development boreholes. Additional boreholes were drilled for Sharjah Water Supply to boost the capacity to Sharjah.

Drilling section of the Royal Engineers were temporarily based at RAF Sharjah following demobilization from Aden. They were utilised in this programme.

Irish Development Board donated stainless steel screens from Johnson Well Screens of Leixlip to Sharjah Water Supply. These were installed in boreholes at Bida’at by the Royal Engineers.

Further drilling took place to the east towards Dayd for possible future expansion. Ajman had a spur pipeline from Sharjah.

Only customer to pay for the water at Sharjah was the RAF Camp. They paid a farthing a gallon for their water – Sharjah's only government income at the time apart from grants provided by Abu Dhabi and Trucial States Council

Water Sources

Abu Dhabi water supply came from a well field at Tawi Sa'ad, some 100kms to the east of Abu Dhabi, not far from Al Ayn. Monitoring hese boreholes showed a “large scale pipeline leakage” between Tawi Sa’ad and Abu Dhabi. Leakage subsequently proved to be “unofficial” underground connections made by local farmers connecting their farms to the pipeline !!

Umm al Qawain’s water supply was developed in the late 1960s from a small wellfield to the north of Falaj al Ali. Drilling and siting of boreholes for this wellfield was undertaken by Nasr Abdullatif and his son Issa Nasr. Other boreholes had been sited in the area but were all brackish water.

Using his brass divining rods, Nasr was able to show where the fresher water was located. He was proven correct when new boreholes were drilled and tested!

Prior to the final commissioning of the Braithwaite high level storage tank in October 1969, a very strong shimal developed along the coastline, resulting in the collapse of the complete tank structure.

Structural checks on all the high level steel storage tanks resulted in strengthening of foundation holding down bolts and other structural elements.

Ras al Khaimah water supply came from two or three boreholes located at the edge of Wadi Bih to the east. These were in disputed territory between Sheikh Saqr bin Mohamed of Ras al Khaimah and the Shihuh people in the Wadi Bih area). Not an area to visit too often!

The Shihuh gave permission for a flood recording gauge to be placed in the Wadi Bih gorge. The steel box protecting the gauge was regularly used for target practice by the Shihuh

Care had to be taken when changing the recording sheets!

Based on an official population census around 1968/69, a supplementary report was prepared to indicate future water requirements for each of the States. Indications were water demands would far exceed available groundwater supplies within a short time frame.

Feasibility of seawater desalination from offshore oil fields flared off gas was investigated together with reverse osmosis from brackish/saline water along the coastline. Onshore oil/gas had not been discovered at this stage.

An experimental solar still was set up at the Council’s workshops in Dubai, with the distilled water produced being used for water testing.

Water Survey Teams

• FOR Trucial States Council:

• Brian Kendal  Director
• Dick Rae   Chief Engineer
• Mahmood Sawa'an   Deputy Chief Engineer
• Dr Assim Jamali   Director of Public Health
• Dr Hovenden   Medical Officer - Rural Clinics
• Dr Colin Willson-Pepper   Medical Officer – Jebel Faiyah
• Ted Morgan   Chief Agricultural Officer - Digdaga
• Mohd Abdul Aziz   Agriculturalist
• Dr Roy Ansell   Government Vet at Digdaga

• FOR Sir William Halcrow and Partners

• Noel Cochrane   Supervising Partner
• Ivan Ward   Recce Visit
• Andrew Kopec   Team Leader
• Liam Sharkey   Leave Replacement
• Alan Rendell   Hydrogeologist
• John Smedley   Hydrologist
• Peris Sinnett-Jones   Water Resources Engineer
• Michael Attfield   Construction Engineer
• Michael   (died in climbing accident in 1969/70? on Hajar Mts near Ras al Khaimah)