Page 444 - Records of Bahrain (7) (ii)_Neat

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834 Records of Bahrain
I
WATER SUPPLIES OF BAHRAIN

1. There has long been a belief that very large quantities
of fresh water from submarine springs were going to waste in the

sea round Bahrain, especially off the North East corner of the
island and that if these were captured the island would never be
short of water. BAPCO have now done much to investigate these

supplies and figures shown to me by Godfrey show that the 20 springs
known to the Arabs and investigated by them have a total discharge
of only 164,000 barrels (about 5.7 million gallons) a day.
This is very disappointing. As these Springs are very scattered
I am sure it would not be economic to capture the water and pump it

to the mainland for purposes of irrigation. Also salinity figures
are very high and vary from spring to spring from 1450 to 8925 parts

! of salt per million, (The average for wells and springs on the
mainland is said to be about 1700). Godfrey says that the salinity
of the submarine springs may be lower as in many cases it was difficult
to take samples.
i The large submarine spring at Muharrak (.5 million gallons
per day) is, I think, not included in the 20 referred to above, It

. is proposed to use it for the municipal water supply of Manama, and it
is being investigated by consulting engineers.
Thornberg says he is convinced that there are other springs
and that a survey should be made. He thinks BAPCO may be drawing

a gloomy picture because they fear they may be let in for developing
the use of this water.
He also suggests that by pumping from certain main springs,

it might be possible to draw on some of the neighbouring ones and
!
so reduce the number of pumps and pipes. Godfrey says he has gone
into this and is against it because both land and submarine supplies

come from the same source and because there would be a danger of lowerin
the water-table of the whole island and of disturbing the balance
between fresh and salt water. In fact, he says, he considers it
out of the question.