Qatar has a clear plan in place to ensure its access to a steady supply of water in the long run, said the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Sheikh Dr Faleh bin Nasser bin Ahmed bin Ali Al Thani, during his speech at the UN 2023 Water Conference in New York City on Thursday.

The Minister spoke about the work that had been done to align the goals and objectives of the 2030 sustainable development plan with that of Qatar’s national development strategy.

This has helped achieve most of the indicators of the sixth of the sustainable development goals, related to ensuring access to clean water and sanitation services for all as well as ensuring their sustainable management.

Sheikh Faleh said Qatar was using modern and advanced technologies in its water desalination plants. With 35% of desalinated water being created using reverse osmosis technology, it has significantly helped in improving energy efficiency. 

While Qatar’s desalination plants produce 538 million gallons of water per day, the total demand for water in the country reached 400m gallons per day.

He said Qatar’s policy was to provide a reserve production capacity of at least 10% to cater to future water demand, in addition to following international best practices in operation and optimal use of water.

Qatar’s water recycling plants followed a triple treatment procedure, with 80% of it used in various fields such as irrigation, agriculture, cooling, etc.

Plans are also afoot to recycle shallow groundwater and industrial wastewater for agriculture and irrigation (in addition to treated water). Qatar seeks to treat 50% of that water by 2027.

The minister also spoke about the launch of an initiative to establish the Global Drylands Alliance, which is an international mechanism aimed at confronting climate change and achieving food security.

Qatar is set to host the International Horticultural Expo 2023 under the slogan ‘Green Desert, Better Environment.’ It will review the most important mechanisms and technologies that contribute to combating desertification and its effects.

The top official said he hoped the conference would be able to unite international efforts and agree on taking decisive decisions, which will contribute to ending the suffering of the world with regard to water.

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