Development of Water Network
Increasing water production is accompanied by strategic plans to enhance both water transport systems and water distribution systems that are proceeding at the same upward pace. The length of transmission water system has seen significant growth, increasing from approximately 800 kilometers in 2013 to about 1,440 kilometers in 2019. This expansion coincided with the operation of mega reservoirs, resulting in a current length of around 1,450 kilometers this year. Similarly, the main and sub-water distribution systems have expanded from 7,427 kilometers in 2013 to approximately 8,829 kilometers in the present year. Further development is planned to reach approximately 10,000 kilometers by the end of 2028.
the materials used for the main distributions systems of potable water adhere to the latest international standards. Moreover, internal plumbing materials for water systems have been developed to prevent leaks within buildings, following the latest international material standards.
Water Reservoirs and Pumping Stations
At the same time, other water projects are being planned to include the construction of reservoirs in many existing stations, in addition to current plans for the construction of more reservoir and pumping stations to meet the growing demand. In addition to it, in the last 10 years, the number of reservoir and pumping stations had increased to 42 reservoirs, and water storage capacity increased to include 2,417 million gallon after commissioning the mega reservoirs.
National Water Control Center (NWCC)
The National Water Control Center is operated as a centralized water control and monitoring center with a state-of-the-art Water SCADA system to efficiently control and monitor the water system and guarantee a high performance of KAHRAMAA water pumping, storage, transmission, and distribution in addition to monitoring water quality in storage and production plants, which increases the efficiency of the water system in Kahramaa.
It also has a system that detects and warns of radioactive contaminants in water. The radiation level (Beta, Alpha, Gamma) is monitored at all entrances of desalination plants. KAHRAMAA coordinates to deal with emergencies cases concerning increased radiation and toxic levels in water facilities.
Additionally, KAHRAMAA had recently commissioned a Real Time System, Acute Toxicity Monitoring of Drinking Water for Chemical, Biological and Radiation Monitoring at four pumping stations in the first phase. This system will be implemented at all pumping stations by the beginning of 2024.
Water Quality (WLab)
Kahramaa is committed to adhere with international and local health, safety, and environmental standards as a key strategic objective. Consequently, the water distributed by Kahramaa is of high quality. Kahramaa is strictly adherent to water quality that meets health, safety, and environmental standards of the national level and aligning with the health guidelines set by the World Health Organization.
The water quality laboratory is well equipped with state-of-the-art analytical equipment in the field of Physical, Chemical and Microbiological analysis. Being accredited to the most prestigious international standard “ISO - 17025:2017" (certificate number 3265.01(from the American Laboratory Accreditation Association, which is one of the world's most important international accreditation entities for laboratory quality
water quality laboratory ensures the quality of drinking water through accurate, reliable, and systemic water testing services under the umbrella of “WHO guidelines for drinking water quality" and “KAHRAMAA drinking water quality requirement".
Over the last decade, Kahramaa has operated 81 automated water quality monitoring systems in all water tanks and pumping stations to ensure continuous monitoring of the main water supply intended for drinking.
Groundwater
Groundwater is the State's sole water source and stands as one of the essential pillars of water security, especially during times of necessity. After entrusting the groundwater management, development, and control to Kahramaa by the Amiri Decree No.46 of 2015, Kahramaa started to guard this only natural water source and tried to reduce and halt the deterioration of this sector by implementing conserving measures, issuing drilling licenses, documenting violations, and setting guidelines for the development, cleaning, and backfilling of groundwater wells.
In an effort to enhance groundwater availability and replenishment, Kahramaa initiated the rehabilitation of 313 water harvesting wells and developed 70 new water harvesting well within various projects. Additionally, a project was launched to develop 300 water harvesting wells, with the completion of 30 wells of the project.
Currently, Kahramaa is doing the final review for the approval of the designs of the pioneering water security project the “Aquifer Storage Recovery" which is a form of artificial groundwater recharge project where groundwater is stored in three stages, providing a strategic sufficient storage for 90 days.
For the purpose of enhancing the country's water security with natural water sources, Kahramaa rehabilitated 5 fresh groundwater fields, compromising a total of 328 wells which are ready to use at any time.
Kahramaa also prioritizes the groundwater sector, based on the Amiri Decree No. 47 of 2015 to establish a sustainable and efficient framework for utilizing water resources. This involves systematically monitoring groundwater utilization by granting drilling licenses after thorough assessment of each request directed to Kahramaa. Additionally, KAHRAMAA focuses on preserving groundwater resources and storing them through several projects which include the widespread drilling of water harvesting wells across the country and the implementation of the Artificial Groundwater Recharge (ASR) project. Furthermore, KAHRAMAA actively engages in the strategic and legislative aspects of the water sector through the Water Policy and Strategy project, aligning with Qatar's Vision 2030.
Water Demand
Statistical data in the water sector shows a remarkable growth in the water demand. To give a comparative trend, the increase amounted to 138 MIGD in 2007 (compared to 61 MIGD in 1997) whereas it reached 173 MIGD in 2008 which is an increase by 183% compared to 1997. Water demand is continuously rising and reached to 424 MIGD in 2023. This number is expected to go up to 436 MIGD in 2024.
Leak Detection and Water Loss