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Water market auctioning method in the Sultanate of Oman: Islamic principles of three aflaj case study in Northern Oman

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Abstract

Since Oman experiences an arid environment, water rights and associated institutional arrangements play major role in the success or failure of operational setting of these rights. Well define of Islamic rights along with their administrative structural setting existed among aflaj (singular falaj) in northern part of Oman. Hence, empirical water prices information based on Islamic ascending water auction have been investigated and examined using three case studies of these aflaj systems in northern Oman. The primary objective is to evaluate and document the procedure used in determining these prices. The finding clearly identified two main elements; first, there is a complete day, out of the overall flow circulation set aside for income generation. The primary purpose is to generate revenues for minor and major system maintenance. Second, the auctioning items are represented and based upon a unique time interval unit which strongly influenced upon water supply flow.

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Notes

  1. Like the Nepal farmer-managed irrigation system (Ostrom and Gardner 1993), the communal tenure in Swiss villages (Netting 1976), canal irrigation system in India (Meinzen-Dick, Raju et al. 2002) and indigenous water distribution system in Andean village, Peru (Trawick 2001).

  2. All of these aflaj were included on the UNESCO heritage list in the year 2006 (MRMWM, 2008)).

  3. In fact, this falaj is considered as the largest falaj in Oman irrigating an area of 1,715,502 square meters and supply an annual water of 8,874,479 cubic meter (see Table 1).

  4. Do the disbelievers do not realize that the heavens and earth were ˹once˺ one mass then We split them apart?1 And We created from water every living thing. Will they not then believe? Al-anbya Chapter: verse 28.

  5. For more details with respect to bayt-al-mal and waqf rights readier are directed to our publication elsewhere (al-marshoudi, 2017).

  6. The primary channel normally split into two supplying different parts of the village (al-nazar area and al-yemen area).

  7. Which is located at UTM coordinates 40 Q; 0569292 E, 2,536,908 N; and at altitude of 604 m [25].

  8. Which is located at UTM coordinates 40 Q; 0569292 E, 2,536,908 N; and at altitude of 604 m [25].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Islamic School, School of Humanities, University Sain Malaysia, 11800, Pulau Penang, Malaysia

    Ahmed S. Al-Marshoudi & Jasni Sulong

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  1. Ahmed S. Al-Marshoudi
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  2. Jasni Sulong
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Correspondence to Ahmed S. Al-Marshoudi.

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My main interest lays within the subject of agriculture economics. However, recently I worked over the analysis of the ancient aflaj water system in Oman, in particular the water rights classification and associated institutional arrangements.

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Al-Marshoudi, A.S., Sulong, J. Water market auctioning method in the Sultanate of Oman: Islamic principles of three aflaj case study in Northern Oman. Sustain. Water Resour. Manag. 10, 14 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40899-023-00971-7

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