Sustainability of the Omani Aflaj Abdullah Al-Ghafri The University of Nizwa, Oman Ibri 25-26 January 2016
Falaj systems Aflaj are complex, common-pool farming communities that depend Human on maintaining the balance between several Technology spheres of influence. Falaj In order to have survived and thrived for thousands of years, Aflaj communities have had to Environment constantly adapt to assure the longevity of these interdependent systems.
Sustainability of falaj system Environmental Human Inherited system Falaj system Stable system Adaptation Some aflaj are more than 2500 years old Sustaining aflaj = sustaining life
Key factors of Aflaj Sustainability • Continues adaptation to social and environmental changes: maintenance, water rights adjustments… • Water market • Gray water use • Recycling resources: Soil, nutrients • Organic farming • Increase land productivity: multi cropping with carefully selected crops • Crop rotations • Social solidarity • Peaceful coexistence between races and religions • Choosing date palm as the principal crop • Flexible land use
The Falaj System: “Cash” flow The Water supply Management Source Conveyance Wages Water utilization Revenue Domestic Agriculture Money supply + + Agriculture: Water market Donations Products market
Characteristics of water rights • Owned life time • Can be sold, leased or rented • Separated from land • All leasing, renting or selling are registered in legal way and recognized at country level • Government has no influence on the water market, it is done at falaj level and the price depend on flow rate, agricultural seasons and number of participants • Auction is done weekly, monthly, every three months or yearly
Types of water rights • Free • Private • Community service • Charity • The ratio of each type depend on falaj type, size and other social factors
Free water rights • Free to all the village members and visitors • Human basic needs – Drinking – Cooking – Washing – Etc • Watering animals
Private water rights • Owned by individuals or families • Most dominant • The total percentage is fixed but the allocation is dynamic – Fixed with land: • Should be sold with the land. Not for rent. – Not fixed with a land: • Can be sold or rented separately
Service water rights • Devoted for community service: – Falaj structure maintenance – Wages of the falaj administration and workforce • Can not be sold. It is for auction only • The ratio and allocation is fixed
Charity water rights (waqf) • Devoted for charity: – Mosques services – Schools – Care of orphans • Can not be sold but rented • Increase by time, depending on donations • Now, it is controlled by the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs
Water rights in Falaj AL-Hageer Athars Dawran = 7 days =336 Athars 60 48 50 Private Service 15 38 40 4.5% 34 321 95.5% 30 24 24 18 20 16 14 15 15 11 9 10 10 9 9 9 8 8 10 5 2 0 1 4 7 2 3 5 6 8 9 10 12 13 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 11 Falaj Owners 3d irrigation 24 2 nd irrigation 4 8 7 14 24 24 22 1 st irrigation 2 5 8 8 9 9 9 9 10 10 7 14 15 7 16 11 24 10 10 14 2 Athars
Water Water Source efficiency/gray Drinking water use Mosques and forts Men bath Domestic • Another Women bath sustainable aspect of Aflaj Washing system involves the gray water Date palms and trees aspects of how Aflaj water is Agricultural Seasonal crops used. Drain
Falaj Maintenance Falaj Al-Khaoud, October 2008
A. Al-Ghafri, 2007 Falaj Daris, October 2006
Date palm is the major crop: Date palm is chosen. (90% of irrigated area). • Perennial crop. • Salinity tolerant. • Drought tolerant. • Wide range of climates. • High productivity. • Wide range of utilizations: • Food. • Shade. • Animal feed. • Energy source. • Wood for construction. • Raw materials for furniture. Al-Hageer, May 1996
Products of Aflaj used in buildings Harat Al-Siybani, Falaj AL-Khutmain. 2012
A. Al-Ghafri, 2007
Water security • This is especially important in Oman as well as other countries in the Middle East, North Africa and Southwest Asia, where the overuse of aquifers, increased demand and climate change have pushed domestic water security to brink. • Aflaj communities have shown that many systems can last centuries even millennium without taking more than the environment provides and with efficient use of land. • Therefore, Aflaj must be considered Omans only indigenous, naturally occurring, sustainable supply of irrigation water that is in harmony with the environment.
• In contrast, Aflaj depend on relatively modest investments of money and are not vulnerable to dynamic factors that could destabilize food production and trade drastically within a short period of time. • Thinking sustainable then Oman must invest in its 1000 ’s of Aflaj as they can pay a vital role in the general well being of Omanis and national security.
Gravitational pull • By design Aflaj work in synchronicity with the environment. They work by gravitational pull and direct relation to existing water tables and recharge rates. For this Aflaj do not over exploit water supplies in the same way that mechanical pumping often does. • While relief wells, damming efforts, and secondary water supplies used to maximize Aflaj production. Aflaj must be viewed from with a sustainable context and planned carefully the base flow of Aflaj systems which are sustainable.
Water efficiency/Multi cropping/New Irrigation techniques • The Aflaj institution of flood irrigation can also be viewed as a sustainable practice as it maximizes the efficiency of water use in several ways. • First through intercropping multiple crops can be grown in high density manner, increasing the land productivity per square meter, with each crop aiding the other. For example date palms, not only produce dates and provide shade but also serve as windbreaks and micro-climate conditioner for crops like banana and papaya as nitrogen fixing crops like sorghum and legumes assist date production while enjoining the protection of the dates. • This aspect of water use efficiency is particularly important as modifications, such as drip irrigation are explored to combat evaporation rate and maximize water use efficiency. Trade off between these irrigation measures are likely and as such investigation is needed to assist farmers to make the correct choices.
Increasing land productivity Al-Mudhaibi, Feb. 2011
Soil recharge/nutrient cycle • Aflaj communities are also sustainable through the complex nutrient cycles found through the system. For example, dates burned at the end of their usefulness and nitrogen fixing crops have assisted the soil in Aflaj communities to remain nutrient rich after centuries of use. • Another important variable in soil health involves the transportation nutrients through water supply and the geo-chemical and organic-chemical interactions throughout the system.
Organic farming • Hence traditional Aflaj are organic agricultural systems, which relates to sustainability and environmental health as pesticides have been linked to several health hazards. • Inorganic fertilizers rationally is not applied, instead Aflaj build off and taking advantage of the nutrient cycle described previously, organic fertilizers such as dried fish and manure have been employed by Aflaj farmers. • NPK rates were maintained and managed naturally rather than through the use of artificial fertilizers.
Circulation of resources and nutrients in falaj system Food Agriculture Village Manure
Equity/common pool • One of the most important aspects of sustainable regarding Aflaj is social aspects of water division which provides for water to be divided on a relatively high level of equity. • As a common pool resource with complex traditional management techniques, water not usually manipulated by an individual as in the case of well. This bond allows for a more equal distribution of output and return as well as stress on community cohesion over conflict.
Threats/needs • Even though they are sustainable, Aflaj are under stress. Over pumping from competing wells, socio- economic pressures and climate change are impacting many Aflaj in adverse ways. • However, these threats do not mean that Aflaj are relicts of past doomed to fail. Rather it is simply means that Omani Aflaj need protection, cost effective proper maintenance, strategies, better market options and multidisciplinary research approach.
Religious reference books and monographs • We looked to religious manuscripts as a religious resource only, however it contains valuable information and data for many research disciplines.
Information and data from these books • Legal material on: – Protecting water sources – Reduce water pollution – Regulating water use – Insure equality in water distribution – User-user relations – User-community relations – User-state relations – Community-community relations – Community-state relations – Records of water and land disputes and solutions • Information on: – Water and land use – Records of history of water management and aflaj – Technical information on traditional irrigation and farming techniques
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