Leaders from Qatar’s public and private sectors have marked International Earth Day by gathering to discuss the threat a rising water table poses to major infrastructure projects.
Hosted by local company Uniquip-Hoelscher, the workshop featured experts who discussed risks to drinking water, fish stocks and public health from pollution entering groundwater or being discharged to the sea.
The experts demonstrated how the groundwater treatment systems used by Uniquip-Hoewater on the Gold Line of Doha Metro manage the dewatering demands of construction while also purifying the water.
Following the discussion, participants toured the water treatment plant at the Ras Abu Abboud Metro station.
“Development, leaks from older infrastructure and seawater intrusion have resulted in a rising water table under much of Doha,” said professor Patrick Linke, chair of chemical engineering at Texas A&M University at Qatar. “This issue poses technical challenges and greatly increases the risk of polluting the sea and groundwater as construction projects pump water from sites.”
Addressing the problem in a way that protects human health and the environment is a priority in the National Development Strategy and members of Qatar’s Permanent Water Resource Committee are working across government to set standards and regulations.
“We design, build and operate groundwater treatment plants on the construction site that remove the contaminants and toxins encountered on that particular project,” said Bjoern Weber, general manager of the environmental department of Uniquip-Hoelscher.
A 3D animation of how the systems clean polluted water and report monitoring levels online was also presented.