Ashghal, the Public Works Authority, organised a site visit to the Mesaimeer Surface and Ground Water Drainage Project where a number of employees from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications were present.

Representatives of the consulting and contracting companies and officials from Ashghal also attended a briefing on the details and benefits of the project and its progress.

The Mesaimeer Surface and Ground Water Drainage Project is one of the key projects implemented by Ashghal as part of its plans to upgrade Qatar’s drainage network.

The project aims to discharge the ground water and stormwater into the sea; thus decreasing the surface water level. This will in turn contribute to the reduction of pumping costs and the disposal of ground water in construction projects around the country.

It will also preserve the foundations of buildings and reduce land subsidence due to rain. The main tunnel is approximately 10km long and reaches a depth of approximately 30m. It extends several kilometers from the shoreline starting from Woqood petrol station roundabout.

The main tunnel is also connected to the existing drainage network in the areas where it will pass, and will hold surface water from the sub-networks that are distributed in different locations covering an area of approximately 170sqkm.

The main tunnel is ultimately linked to a pumping station with a capacity of 19 cubic metres per second, which will discharge the collected storm water from the Mesaimer tunnel through an offshore outfall several kilometres away from the shoreline to ensure the protection of the shoreline and its surrounding environment.

The Mesaimeer tunnel was excavated using “Al Thumama” and “Al Rawada” Tunnel Boring Machines which were specially developed for this project, and were used for the first time in Qatar to excavate deep tunnels. All excavation works were carried out at a depth of 30m without disrupting the traffic flow or causing any damage to the facilities or buildings surrounding the tunnels.

Inspection manholes were built as part of the project works to ensure proper operations of the tunnel's facilities. The inspection manholes will also enable inspection and periodic maintenance operations within the operations and maintenance plan which will be implemented through the construction of 21 access shafts from the surface to the underground tunnels at a depth of around 20 to 30m.

The Mesaimeer Surface and Ground Water Drainage Project is supervised by CDM Smith consulting company and implemented by Salini Impregilo construction company. The project is expected to be completed in the first quarter of next year.