A Kahramaa chart shows the projected decrease by 35% in five years. A Kahramaa chart compares the water consumption between 2012 and 2013.
By Salman Siddiqui
Staff Reporter
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The Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) is taking action against those who misuse water and electricity.
Around 3,600 penalties and warnings were issued against violators of electricity and water usage in 2013, a senior Kahramaa official has disclosed.
Altogether 3,593 penalties and warnings were issued against violations reported under the Conservation Law (26, 2008) in 2013, out of which 2,097 were over electricity wastage and 1,496 over water wastage.
“Kahramaa is dealing in very strict terms with regard to water and electricity wastage,” asserted Abdullah Khullaifi, head of conservation technology section under the conservation and energy efficiency department.
In a presentation at a seminar on water scarcity, organised by the Qatar Green Building Council on Tuesday, he explained that the highest penalties and warnings were issued by Kahramaa in December 2013, when 488 violations against electricity wastage and 342 violations against water wastage were issued.
The lowest penalties and warnings were recorded in April 2013, when only 35 violations against electricity wastage and 15 violations against water wastage were issued.
“Water is mostly consumed in Qatar on the residential side (58%), followed by commercial use (25%), government (13%) and industrial use (4%),” the official said.
Highlighting various ongoing conservation projects undertaken by the government organisation, Khullaifi said that Kahramaa predicted a 35% reduction in per capita consumption (PCC) of water in Qatar by 2016.
According to statistics presented by the official, 223 cubic metres per person of water was consumed in 2011. It was projected that if no conservation projects were undertaken then this consumption would rise to 258 cubic metres per person by end of 2016.
However, Kahramaa believed that with ongoing conservation projects, the consumption should drop by 35% to 168 cubic metres in 2016.
Another interesting fact revealed in the presentation was that even though the water consumption per capita had decreased in 2013 compared to the figures from 2012, in both the years, the water per capita consumption reached the highest levels during the peak summer months of June, July and August in Qatar.
On average, 634 litres of water were consumed per capita in 2012, while 607 litres were consumed per capita in 2013.
Among the proposed water conservation regulation being looked into Kahramaa, the official said that the plumbing fixtures such as a single toilet flush would be allowed a maximum of 4.9 litres per flush; showers 9.5 litres per minute; kitchen sinks 8.3 l/m; faucet residential 5.7 l/m.
For irrigation water requirement greater than a cubic metre per day or an irrigated area greater than 100 metre square, no flood irrigation or separate irrigation tanks would be allowed to be used.
The official also spoke of Kahramaa’s Tarsheed awareness initiative, which included an educational programme, conservation building competition, and religious awareness programme.
