The news that the Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) is taking action against those who misuse water and electricity is very encouraging.

Around 3,600 penalties and warnings were issued against violators of electricity and water usage in 2013, according to a report published last week by Gulf Times, quoting a senior Kahramaa official.

Altogether 3,593 penalties and warnings were issued against violations reported under the Conservation Law (26, 2008) in 2013, out of which 2,097 were over electricity wastage and 1,496 over water wastage.

In a desert nation where electricity and water are produced through the energy intensive and expensive seawater desalination process, the authorities concerned ought to clamp down more strictly on those who misuse these resources.

While the Kahramaa action is immensely laudable, a lot more remains to be done on the ground. The Emiri decree that prohibits washing of vehicles at locations other than service centres is being flouted with impunity by many.

It is common to see puddles of water on the road outside some residences even when it has not rained. The puddles are formed by the water wasted for washing vehicles, that too by hosing them down, a process which entails a massive waste of the precious resource.

It should not be noted that the water used is potable and not recycled as there is no centralised system in Qatar to supply treated sewage effluent (TSE) for such uses.

Qatar has been recycling water since 1971 to protect the environment, conserve its resources, and augment its water supply. TSE is currently used for landscaping and to grow animal fodder.

Water is mostly consumed in Qatar on the residential side (58%), followed by commercial use (25%), government (13%) and industrial use (4%), according to Kahramaa statistics.

Misuse of electricity has also to be checked further. Kahramaa’s regulation that exterior illumination should not be kept operational between 7am and 4.30pm under no circumstances is being violated by some users.

It may not be practical for any agency to keep a strict vigil to enforce the conservation regulations. This is where civic responsibility should come in. 

Kahramaa launched in April 2012 a five-year initiative called Tarsheed which aims to achieve an effective reduction of electricity and water consumption by the country’s residents, both citizens and expatriates.

Through the Tarsheed campaign, the country hopes to reduce the consumption of electricity by 20% and water by 35% over the five-year campaign period.

Tarsheed’s message must reach every resident of this country as we are approaching peak summer, a period which generally sees very high demand for water and electricity.

Qatar’s water usage is among the highest in the world on a per capita basis. Similarly, per capita power consumption in Qatar is also very high by global standards.

Over the last one decade, Qatar’s population has almost trebled, resulting in a huge increase in water and power consumption in the country.

As Gulf Times has pointed out through this column earlier, every resident is duty-bound to help the conservation campaign achieve its goal.