Qatar's rainwater harvesting system to have 383 wells

Doha Rain

To enhance water security in the country, Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) is developing a project for building rainwater harvesting system with 383 wells.

Built on well-established scientific and technical basis, and after an in-depth environmental study, the project aims to harvest the largest possible amount of rainwater before it evaporates, Kahramaa has tweeted.

Kahramaa said that it is supervising the construction of the water harvesting wells system in the State of Qatar to ensure that the best sites are identified topographically for building wells, in order to give the desired results in feeding fresh aquifers, and build wells away from sources of pollution to preserve the safety and quality of the collected water.

Kahramaa explained the operation system of the project through illustration and inforgraphics which are posted on its social media site. The operation will begin to collect rainwater in low lying areas during rainfall. 

The collected well water is gradually transferred to the aquifer with gravitational support.

The rainwater harvesting wells enhance the groundwater level and preserve plants and wild life. Harvest wells also provide water to livestock and strengthen the environment of the country.

In an earlier report last year, Kahramma had said that it was implementing a rainfall harvest project to collect rainwater in low laying areas and inject them into aquifers via gravity so as to make use of it instead of having it evaporated. 

The project aims to recharge underground reservoirs and improve groundwater condition for the purpose of achieving water, food and environmental security. It was implemented in two phases and  includes 383 wells nationwide.

About 60 wells were completed during the first stage, and the second phase is expected to be completed within a year. Kahramaa also rehabilitated five fresh underground fields to ensure water security in the country, especially during emergencies. 

The report had said that work was underway to adopt a water strategy in Qatar. The strategy has been prepared with the concerted efforts of all concerned authorities in the State. It includes several initiatives, values, performance indicators and several strategic elements, the most important of which are governance, water demand management and optimal exploitation to conserve water resources. The strategy is in line with QNV 2030, and it is being examined for approval and ratification by the highest authorities. 

With regard to the water network, Kahramaa continued commissioning new water networks and installing water distribution lines to supply water to all sectors and to connect customers to the network, as well as supplying water to livestock farms locally called ‘Al Abdab’ through the network to support livestock in the country.