For four days, he and two companions had survived on a handful of dates and brackish water from a leaking goatskin.

The first taste of brackish water promised the ocean soon.

But bonuses like this, at present, are less palatable than brackish water.

Mangroves clump in the crystalline brackish water, although there are no crocs or other beasties lurking, as there might be in other parts of the world.

The project involves designing and building a system to collect brackish water from 10 industrial wells and to build treatment centres including pipelines, a dam and storage tanks.