"A Flower Each Spring" programme has emphasised the importance of water conservation, protecting its sources and ensuring its availability, as an essential source of sustaining life, on the occasion of World Water Day, which falls on March 22 every year.
The programme hosted in Ras Matbakh a number of employees and those interested in tourism with the presence of the head of the programme Dr Saif al-Hajari, who reviewed the challenges facing water, the need to preserve its natural resources, rationalise its consumption, reduce its leaks and develop techniques to benefit from it.
Dr al-Hajari pointed out that, given the importance of the water issue, the United Nations has set a day - March 22 - every year to raise awareness about the importance of water, advocate sustainable management of its resources and related issues, adding that more than 1bn people rely on unsafe water to drink.
He said this is an occasion to assess efforts and amend the wrong practices and review plans and programme to correct errors.
Dr al-Hajari stressed that World Water Day is also an opportunity to inspire others to take to protect water resources, which are the most important sources of life and development, as water is an essential pillar in supporting economic, social and humanitarian development.
He added that, according to the United Nations World Water Development Report (WWDR), 3.6bn people in the world, or nearly half of the world's population, live in water-stressed areas, calling on all to co-operate with the research efforts to benefit from surface water sources and rainwater.
He pointed out that Qatar has reached a good level of water utilisation, thanks to a clear political direction and the efforts of the Ministry of Municipality and Environment.
Dr al-Hajari praised the efforts of Qatar in the provision of water through the establishment of desalination plants and huge reservoirs, and to enact laws and legislation that ensure its conservation and its rational use, stressing the need not to overlook the awareness campaigns carried out by the civil society organisations and companies related to the importance of water and it conservation.
Dr al-Hajri said that these policies of the state in dealing with water have made the share of the individual in Qatar exceed the share of any citizen in the rich water countries, calling to educate young people about preserving water, as well as the use of modern techniques in dealing with water and technology in irrigation methods and treatment of wastewater in agriculture and industry.
Dr al-Hajri stressed the role of the programme in raising the awareness about the importance of water and the programme's co-operation with government agencies and related institutions and its activists to launch many initiatives concerning water conservation within and outside Qatar.
"A Flower Each Spring" Programme celebrates this year "Pulicaria undulata" which is a desert plant with yellow flowers. It is a medicinal plant used as an insect repellent and helps to heal wounds.
