'Appeal To Conscience:' Qatar Teaches Population Via SMS To Rationalize Water Use

Suffering from water deficit, Qatar teaches its population, which does not pay for utilities, how to avoid wasting water through appeals to the conscience

DOHA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd March, 2019) Suffering from water deficit, Qatar teaches its population, which does not pay for utilities, how to avoid wasting water through appeals to the conscience.

The appeals are made through SMS messages and fines for faucet leaks.

International World Water Day is celebrated annually on March 22. Marking the date, a Sputnik correspondent spoke with representatives of Qatar authorities and scientists to find out how one of the driest countries in the world approaches the problem of water shortage.

"In the next few years, Qatar will face the problem of water shortage, like many other countries of the world, since the average annual rainfall in the emirate is only about 80 millimeters [3.1 inches], and in the context of the population growth, the pressure on the country's water resources will increase. At the same time, despite water scarcity, the per capita water consumption in the emirate is the highest in the world, an average of 500 liters per day, what is associated with the social and economic well-being," Husam Baalousha, a senior scientist and associate professor at Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute, a research and development entity under Hamad bin Khalifa University, told Sputnik.

According to the professor, seawater desalination has been considered a long-term solution to the problem of water scarcity in Qatar. However, this solution is not perfect, especially in terms of fresh water storage.

"The amount of water available at any time at desalination plants is enough for human consumption for only a couple of days, so the Qatari government is building mega containers, above-ground storage tanks made of concrete, for storing fresh water. Such facilities will allow Qatar to have water supply for a week in case of emergency," Baalousha said.

Conscious Population In Wealthy Country - Key To Resource Preservation

According to the Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (KAHRAMAA), the only way to teach people to save water in a dry country, where the population does not pay for utilities, is to raise public awareness.

"Unlike other countries of the world, the situation in Qatar is unique. Qatari nationals do not pay for utilities, including water, as these costs are covered by the state. Previously, the government also compensated 60 percent of water bills for foreigners living in the country, now the state's contribution decreased to 40 percent. In this situation, when people live in huge private houses with gardens, they are not interested in saving water, so we can influence them only by promoting greater consciousness," a KAHRAMAA representative, Maryam Al-Mohamedi, said.

She also noted that Qatar's government was investing heavily in a nationwide program called Tarshid, which is translated from Arabic as "sustainable use."

"This campaign is focused on various social classes, including schoolchildren and housewives. We are trying different ways to get through to them and talk about the importance of saving water.

For example, now we have started sending everyone SMS messages with the information about how much water they use and how much the state of Qatar pays for it, appealing to their conscience," Al-Mohamedi told Sputnik.

In the six years since the launch of the program, water use has been reduced by 15 percent.

"By 2022, we expect to achieve a 35 percent reduction of water use only by raising the awareness of the population," the KAHRAMAA representative said.

Baalousha said that Qatar was already improving its capacity in the field of water security, taking several different steps, including reducing losses in the water distribution network and thorough checks to eliminate leaks.

According to the Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation, the state is a driver for the rational use of resources.

People's awareness about the importance of maintaining water resources is raised through strict laws and heavy fines, in particular, the law on electricity and water conservation. This law, for example, provides for a fine for washing cars with a hose using strong water pressure. In addition, it is prohibited to leave leaking faucets unrepaired, as water leakages from the faucets in houses account for 14 percent of the full amount of water usage in Qatar. The violation of this law is punishable by a fine of 10,000 Qatari Riyals (about $3,000), and the fine doubles for repeating the violation during a three-year period.

According to Baalousha, the economic blockade of Qatar, which was introduced by neighboring countries, and the worldwide recognition of the importance of food self-sufficiency raised the issue of food security and availability of resources in the emirate.

"The full use of cleaned wastewater for irrigating fodder crops, reduction of losses in the water network, as well as more rational water consumption can help Qatar to increase its self-sufficiency in food to 40 percent. Using modern methods of irrigation and new technologies, we can save up to 80 percent of water," Baalousha said.

However, he is convinced that Qatar's food security policy still poses a threat to its water resources.

As Faleh Al Thani, Qatar's deputy minister of municipality and environment, told Sputnik, Qatar had to adjust the food security program in the context of limited water resources.

"We are looking for new technologies in agriculture to significantly decrease water use. For example, growing vegetables in water without using soil: water consumption in such farms is very small. Since a lot of water is needed to cool greenhouses during the hot season, we focused on the construction of greenhouses, which are made of materials that allow growing vegetables without the use of air conditioners," Al Thani noted.

According to the World Bank's forecast, 60 percent of middle Eastern countries will face acute shortages of fresh water by 2040, and the amount of rain in the Persian Gulf region will decrease by 20 percent.