Providing 15,000 cubic meters per day.. Operating a treated wastewater treatment plant in Katara | Politics

Aljazeera.net correspondents

DohaIn a move aimed at preserving natural resources and supporting water security, Katara Cultural Village announced the operation of a treated wastewater treatment plant – in cooperation with Veolia Water Technologies – to provide the water needed to irrigate green spaces as well as the water needed for cooling in Katara.

The project contributes to achieving the strategic objectives of Qatar National Vision 2030 by reducing dependence on drinking water and reusing treated wastewater after purification for irrigation and district cooling purposes.

Last June, a cooperation crystallized between Katara and Veolia Water Technologies, which provides technical support through the implementation of the station and supervision of its operation and maintenance, in establishing a station to purify treated wastewater in Katara with a production capacity of 15,000 cubic meters of purified water per day, in addition to contributing to reducing the energy required for production to 20% of the energy required for water desalination.

The station allows the reuse of treated wastewater from the Public Works Authority, so that the purified water resulting from the station covers the irrigation requirements of the green hills in Katara and the water supplies needed to serve the central cooling systems, instead of using drinking water, while reducing the cost from 9 riyals to 1 Qatari riyal per cubic meter.

Environmental Sustainability

For his part, the CEO of Katara Project, Eng. Mohammed Abdulaziz Al Meer, said in a statement to Al Jazeera Net that the launch of the station is a pioneering achievement and a testament to our commitment to environmental sustainability, noting that the project contributes to reducing drinking water consumption in line with Qatar National Vision 2030.

He added that by using treated wastewater for irrigation and cooling, we are not only conserving vital natural resources, but also setting a new standard for sustainable practices in cultural and tourism destinations.

The same spokesman explained that the technology and design used in this project are state-of-the-art, which allowed the station to be built with the targeted production capacity in light of the limited space available for its construction and without increasing the available energy supply.

Reduce cost

For her part, the Director of Operations at the Katara Project, Engineer Buthaina Al-Amadi, said in a statement to Al Jazeera Net that the aim of the project is to secure the future of future generations by sustaining the available resources, by providing resources and reducing operating costs.

The project aims to irrigate the green spaces in Katara Hills, which exceed 500 thousand square meters in area, and which is one of the most important elements of the Katara project, in addition to supplying the central cooling station, which has a total capacity of 25 thousand tons of refrigeration, which cools the internal spaces of the Katara Cultural Village buildings as well as the external areas of Katara.

Al-Emadi added that the Katara project coordinated with various state agencies, such as the Public Works Authority and the Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation, to implement the station and secure the required water from alternative water sources and provide pure drinking water that was previously used for irrigation and cooling.

The same spokeswoman pointed out that the idea of ​​the station’s operation depends on using the reverse osmosis system to reach the lowest possible percentage of dissolved salts, chlorides and sodium, as well as to ensure that the water produced by the station is free of any bacterial or viral contamination to preserve green spaces, and to protect cooling equipment from salt deposits inside it, in addition to reducing the operating cost in the Katara Cultural Village.

The station relies on the use of a reverse osmosis system to reach the lowest possible percentage of dissolved salts.

Adapting to climate change

Commenting on the project to Al Jazeera Net, Thierry Froment, CEO of Veolia Water Technologies in the Middle East, said that cooperation with the Katara project is in line with our strategic GreenUp programme, which aims to help regions adapt to climate change.

He added that the project not only conserves precious fresh water, but also embodies the sustainable use of water in Katara, explaining that by converting treated wastewater into high-quality water for irrigation and cooling purposes, we are pioneering a new standard for resource management efficiency and sustainability in the region.

Providing fresh water

Ahmed Fahmy, Deputy Operations Manager at Veolia Water Technologies Qatar, said that the water produced by the station ensures the highest standards of safety and security in preserving the green environment and preventing its pollution and the transmission of this pollution to humans.

Fahmy pointed out – in a statement to Al Jazeera Net – that the volume of water produced by the station contributes to providing drinking water to about 60 thousand people daily, whether for drinking, cooking or other daily uses.

He added that the station is designed to operate with different flows, according to the change in use or the required amount of water, explaining that the company, which was established 170 years ago, owns 58 desalination stations in Qatar, and focuses on operating in the entire North Doha area, including drainage, pumping and lifting stations, in coordination with the Public Works Authority.

He pointed out that ensuring the suitability and purity of the water is done using modern devices installed at the station’s outlets to provide instant readings of the water’s salinity, in addition to setting specific timetables for analyzing water samples continuously in specific laboratories.