Around the Eid al Adha holidays Oman experienced some unusual amounts of rain. Usually the north of Oman has a very dry climate during the summer months, this year though an unusual amount of rain filled some of the northern wadis with fresh water. In the picture below you can see how the wadi in Hajjir swells during heavy rain.

Unfortunately these running wadis often damage infrastructure and even claim lifes of people who are not cautious enough to keep their distance. On the other hand the locals love to go and see the running water in their else dry wadis.

Some of the people present at this crossing waited for the water to retreat so that they would be able to cross. The majority though was there to watch, enjoy the show, and even cheer on the first cars trying to cross the water. And yes, I myself was amongst the first group. After around an hour the water had dropped to a safe level and I was able to continue my journey.

To replenish the aquifers the state is building more dams to hold some of the water back, so that the amount of water that is lost by running off in the ocean is reduced. This is one of the strategies to turn the tide in the battle against water scarcity in a country that currently uses 30% more water than the aquifers can naturally replenish.

And because rain is a rare sight in Oman, here some more pictures: