Qatar plans mega reservoirs to store water for emergency

The deliberations at TECHtalks also saw the participants outline a set of recommendations to improve current conditions in the area of water security.

In the latest edition of its TECHtalks series, Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP) recently hosted Abdul Sattar M al-Rasheed, CEO for Ras Abu Fontas, Qatar Electricity & Water Company, to discuss water management and security challenges currently facing Qatar and the Arabian Peninsula.

He was joined at the two-hour talk by a panel of distinguished research experts, including Dr Adel Sharif, research director of Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), and Dr Mohamed Shamrukh Mahmoud, an expert in water resources at Qatar’s Ministry of Environment.

Al-Rasheed has delivered an in-depth history of the worsening water challenges in Qatar and the region and proposed several steps to combat these challenges and reverse unsustainable trends.

Focusing in several instances on the value of innovative technologies in fixing the problem at hand, the steps listed include building a secure regional network of desalination plants and fresh water reservoirs, optimising the amount of water spent on local agriculture, collaborative investment in water production, promoting initiatives like Kahramaa’s Tarsheed programme to encourage sustainable consumption behaviour and raise awareness about conservation of water, and exploring renewable water production options to ensure sustainable and reliable sources.

Al-Rasheed pointed out that Qatar faces a unique set of challenges with respect to water scarcity due to a shortage of reliable surface and fresh water sources.

According to Qatar’s inter-ministerial Permanent Population Committee, the country’s residents currently consume 675 litres of water per capita per day - approximately twice the average consumption in the European Union. Given that Qatar’s population is expected to increase nearly eightfold by 2050, the demand for water is likely to increase significantly.

“The quality of life of future generations rests on how we manage these key resources and what habits or mechanisms we implement today,” al-Rasheed said.

An audience of industry specialists, researchers and students engaged the panel experts in a question-and-answer session, focusing on what the future holds for Qatar’s water shortage and the role technology plays in addressing challenges. The panelists agreed on a core set of recommendations to improve current conditions, stressing that the region is a pioneer in water security and innovation, while the solutions themselves pave the way for further economic diversification and opportunity. 

Joining the discussion, Dr Mahmoud said: “There are six projects related to water in Qatar National Development Strategy 2011-2016, including the National Water Act. This will enhance water management in Qatar by applying the three pillars of integrated water resources management. Plans are under way to secure the supply of potable water for 90 days in emergency situations by constructing mega reservoirs and ASR projects.”

Dr Sharif, who is currently leading the Water Security Grand Challenge programme at QEERI, said: “We are eager to provide a solution and this calls for substantial investment in improved desalination technologies, which could involve solar energy or new ways of filtering our salt. We are looking for an effective solution by 2020, and a commercial partner that can help us make a big change in Qatar and in the region itself.”

QSTP is a part of Qatar Foundation Research and Development.