Ministerial Decree No. 308/2001 adding Salalah Water Supply Wellfield Protection Zones to the Ministerial Decree No. 196/2001.

This Decree, consisting of 3 articles and 3 Appendices, aims to prevent groundwater contamination and ensure sustainable protection of critical drinking water resources. In fact, it establishes a legal framework for protecting the Salalah Water Supply Wellfield in Dhofar Governorate by integrating it into a structured system of environmental protection zones with strict land-use controls. The water collection area (including Wadi Nahiz, Wadi Sahnot, and Wadi Jarziz) is divided into 4 zones (Red, Orange, Yellow, and Blue), ranging from highly restricted core wellfield areas to broader coastal zones with progressively fewer limitations. The Red Zone is the most strictly protected area, where most industrial, agricultural, and potentially polluting activities are prohibited. The Orange Zone allows limited activities only under strict authorization, while the Yellow and Blue Zones permit broader development, with controls such as restrictions on groundwater extraction volumes. Across all zones, a tiered permitting system governs whether activities are prohibited, conditionally allowed, or permitted. The Decree also imposes detailed environmental safeguards on approved activities, including strict controls on agriculture, fuel storage, industrial operations, oil infrastructure, waste disposal, and wastewater management. Requirements include secure storage of chemicals, engineered containment systems for fuel tanks, mandatory environmental impact assessments for industry, leak monitoring for pipelines, prohibition of untreated wastewater discharge, and strict landfill and construction waste controls.