Considering that Qatar, a small country with a population of just over 2.28mn, has one of the highest rates of water and power consumption in the world, the draft law issued by the Cabinet recently to prevent the wasteful use of these precious resources is highly appropriate.
Consumers found wasting drinking water and electricity will face stringent penalties, according to the draft law that includes amendments to Law No 26 of 2008.
According to the bill, automatic keys are to be set up for the external lighting of buildings and facilities based on conditions and specifications laid down by a decision of the Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa) chairman.
A fine of no more than QR20,000 is to be imposed on owners and residents of buildings and facilities if they use drinking water to wash cars and equipment or clean courtyards, through water hoses or other means of direct flow.
Additionally, a fine not exceeding QR10,000 will be imposed on those who leave lights on in places such as the walls and exteriors of buildings and public and private facilities, from 7am to 4.30pm. The law also prohibits neglecting damaged or broken pipes and taps in internal water networks that might cause water leakage.
The draft law will undoubtedly provide a fillip to the efforts of Kahramaa, which through its three-year-old Tarsheed campaign has helped Qatar to make an effective saving of about QR600mn, as per statistics revealed in April this year. The campaign aims at reducing the daily consumption of water and electricity and meeting the targeted levels of reduction within a 5- year timeline.
Since the campaign began on April 22, 2012, there has been an identical overall reduction of 11% in the total consumption of water and electricity in the country. Tarsheed has also helped reduce carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 1.8mn tonnes, and gas waste by 43,000mn cubic ft, until the end of December last year.
The target set by Kahramaa is to make a gross reduction of 35% in the consumption of water and 20% in electricity until 2017.
Every resident should realise that seawater is the most important source of water for Qatar, accounting for about half of the water used. Water is desalinated through a costly and energy-intensive thermal process. Production of desalinated water has quadrupled during the last two decades, a trend that is expected to continue.
The groundwater supplies are also critical to Qatar’s water network. These sources are recharged through the country’s meagre rainfall and water flows from neighbouring Saudi Arabia. The amount of groundwater being extracted is outpacing the amount flowing in. The primary challenge is to improve the use of water for irrigation on farms due to water loss and the threat to the quality of the groundwater.
Recycled water, or treated sewage effluent (TSE), is the only water source that is in surplus. TSE is primarily used in irrigation, but can play a more significant role especially for industrial use. Qatar treats and reuses 24% of total freshwater supplies, which is above average among the Gulf states. Presently, the country lacks the infrastructure to deliver recycled water to every potential user.
So, the message is very clear. Qatar residents should be more alert to avoid wasteful use of water and electricity.