Manal Al Balushi wins Omani Young Water Researcher Award 2017

Manal Al Balushi is the first researcher to win the Omani Young Water Researcher Award by the Middle East Desalination Research Centre (MEDRC). Balushi wrote a research paper on her study on water losses in the wilayat of Seeb city along the Omani coast.

The award was introduced by Dr Jauad El Kharraz, MEDRC’s head of research (middle on top photo) and the award was handed out by Laetitia Van Asch (left), Ambassador of the Netherlands to Oman. The Embassy of Netherlands in Muscat and Omar Zawawi Establishment sponsored the award.

Young Omani women
Manal’s achievement is seen as an inspiration for young Omani women to take up research. As a student in civil engineering at the Middle East College, she was part of the engineering village and worked as a planner for constructions.

From 2010 to 2014, she explored the water loss in a particular part of Seeb city, collecting data from the Public Authority for Electricity and Water and using international-standard software to audit the percentages of water loss.

Water scarcity solutions
Laetitia Van Asch, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Oman, remarked, “I am proud of all the Omani participants in this contest and most of all, proud of the winner! These fine young researchers are the future for water scarcity solutions”, Van Asch said.

This news item was originally published in the Times of Oman.

Read also on this website
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● Oman prolongs funding for Quantitative Water Management chair at Utrecht University, the Netherlands, 26 May 2014
● Water-related projects important show cases during visit Queen Beatrix to Oman, 15 January 2012

More information
MEDRC Water Research
Al Khuwair, Sultanate of Oman
+968 24 41 55 31
www.medrc.org