HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani commissioned the first phase of the QR14.3bn mega reservoir project of the Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) in Umm Slal on Thursday.
The function was also attended by HE the Minister of Energy and Industry Dr Mohamed bin Saleh al-Sada, Kahramaa president Issa bin Hilal al-Kuwari and other senior officials.
Pledging the government's continuous support for improving the quality of life in the country, the Prime Minister said the strategic reservoir project, which is one of the largest of its kind in the world, is being executed to ensure uninterrupted supply of water.
Besides meeting the growing demand for water, the project would also contribute to supporting the country's food security, he said, adding the latest technology is put in place for the completion of the project.
Later the Prime Minister and others went on an inspection tour of the entire complex.They visited the control room and the pumping station and listened to a detailed briefing about their operations by senior Kahramaa officials.
A view of the pumping station in Umm Slal.
The occasion also coincided with the pumping of water from the strategic project in Umm Slal which is one of five such facilities being executed in different parts of Qatar.
Al-Sada said: "The operations of the Grand Reservoirs project comes in line with the plans of the government and the wise vision of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani for achieving water security in Qatar. Their completion would ensure that the total storage capacity of water in the country would be approximately 1,398mn gallons at any one time and this would be sufficient to meet the the requirements of the country until 2026."
Al-Kuwari described the occasion as a historic moment for Qatar as there has been a phenomenal rise in the water storage capacity. The reservoirs would be linked to the current local water distribution networks to cope with the growth in the country's population.
The Kahramaa president explained that the project being executed in five sites includes 15 water reservoirs. It is the first of its kind in the Arab region and will have a storage capacity of about 100mn gallons per tank. More than 650km of water lines have been laid to link these reservoirs with the country's desalination plants.
Al-Kuwari also lauded the progress of the work of the projects and the efforts of the employees. He said the reservoir in Umm Slal was completed with in the stipulated deadline set by the directives of the Amir.
