Water produced for Muscat Governorate fell to 202.2 million cubic metres in 2025, from 233.3 million in 2024, a drop of 13.3%, according to NCSI figures supplied by the regulator, APSR. Over the two years to the end of 2025, the governorate's registered population rose from 1,455,680 to 1,532,486.
The fall continued into 2026
Production in the first nine months of 2026 was 144,959.0 thousand cubic metres, 5.4% lower than in the same months of 2025. Registered residents reached 1,569,604 by the end of September 2026, 2.7% more than a year earlier. Water distributed in the governorate held steadier, at 133.4 million cubic metres in 2025 against 134.6 million in 2024. The published series do not explain the drop in production.
A zone that leans on Barka
Nama Power and Water Procurement estimates average demand in its Muscat Zone at 606 thousand cubic metres a day in 2025, with a peak of 677 thousand. The two contracted plants inside the governorate, Ghubrah II and Qurayyat, have 391,000 cubic metres a day of capacity between them. The procurer calls transfers from the Barka Zone "essential", and puts available capacity on the two pipelines at about 242,000 cubic metres a day.
New plants due in 2027
Ghubrah III, a 300,000 cubic metre a day reverse osmosis plant, was 93% built in November 2026, with operations expected in the second quarter of 2027. The Wadi Dayqah dam purification plant, 57% complete in October 2026, is due to add 35,000 cubic metres a day of drinking water by May 2027; Nama PWP plans for its commercial operation in 2028. Peak demand in the Muscat Zone is projected to reach 774 thousand cubic metres a day by 2032.
Who runs Muscat's water, what households and businesses pay, which projects are in the pipeline and how exposed the capital is to wadi floods are set out in the profile. The full report, Muscat City Intelligence Profile, is available for USD 99. For a free overview, see https://ourfuturewaterintelligence.com/cities/muscat.