For the last few years, Qatar has been striving to make a myriad of projects, which were unimaginable a few years back for such an arid country. By now, the country has proved several of these projects were worthwhile not only trying, but turning them into huge success stories. Out of these major initiatives, a major chunk was focused on making Qatar self-sufficient in food products such as milk, vegetables, fish and poultry to cite a few examples. People in the country have already started relishing the fruits of many of these initiatives.
Yesterday, Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa), revealed yet another ambitious but achievable project to enhance water security in the country through a project to develop rainwater harvesting system with building some 383 wells.
The project, envisaged after an in-depth environmental study and based on well-established scientific and technical basis, aims to harvest the largest possible amount of rainwater before it gets evaporated and wasted. Kahramaa said that it had started identifying best-suited sites for constructing wells, which will eventually feed the fresh water aquifers. These wells will be built away from likely sources of pollution or contamination in order to ensure safety and quality of the collected water.
The corporation added that it had already started harvesting rainwater in low-lying area during rainfall, and the collected water is being gradually transferred to the aquifers with gravitational support. The harvested water will enhance groundwater level and preserve plant and wild life. It can also be used to provide water to livestock and strengthen the preservation of nature.
Rainwater harvesting is increasingly becoming a viable alternative for supplying households and businesses with water in several countries, especially in the developed world. There are several countries such as Germany and Australia where rainwater harvesting has become a norm. The green movement underway across the world will definitely make rainwater harvesting systems more popular in more regions of the world.
Rainwater is a relatively clean and absolutely free source of water, which if collected and stored in a proper way can meet several of the daily needs of fresh water, promoting self-sufficiency and will help conserve water usage. In cities, most of the rain that falls on buildings, roofs, roads and other hard landscaping does not percolate into the soil and is instead get wasted through sewers.
Even though, Qatar receives very low amount of rainwater every year, using every drop which is available will go a long way in augmenting the precious groundwater reserves of the country, which will eventually make the country greener and more prosperous. The new initiative will prove another feather in the cap of Qatar, a country known for making the impossible possible.
