Rising sea levels threat to Oman real estate plans

Claire Ferris-Lay in Arabian Business: Rising sea levels in Oman could be a threat to future construction projects in the Gulf sultanate, new research has said. Land in Oman is moving a few millimeters every year, impacting areas in the capital city of Muscat and Seefah while data has also suggested the country could be at risk of a tsunami in the future, a study from the German University of Technology in Oman has found.

“Here in Oman, the land is moving by a few millimeters each year - in both directions up and downwards. It is necessary to quantify these processes as large infrastructure projects are under development in the coastal regions,” Professor Goesta Hoffmann, associate professor of applied geosciences at the university, said in a statement. “As a consequence, parts of Oman especially between Seefah and Muscat are threatened.”

Construction projects in Oman, like many Gulf countries, have ramped up in recent years as the country looks to diversify its economy and address its growing national population. Spending on construction projects is expected to reach more than $27bn by 2014, according to research from Venture....

Distant click of Muscat Port - the yacht of the Sultan of Oman can be seen anchored at port. Shot by Pranav21391, Wikimedia Commons, public domain