DOHA: Qatar needs to develop a holistic water security strategy to address a possible emergency situation. The country needs to develop a strategy to withstand a large scale disaster like earthquake or an oil spill, 75 percent of respondents to a Gulf Intelligence (GI) Industry Survey have said.
The Middle East is located at the junction of major tectonic plates – namely the African, Arabian and Eurasian plates – which causes significant tectonic activity in the region. Plus, the Arabian Gulf hosts the world’s biggest concentration of oil tankers. Yet, only two percent of respondents to the GI Industry Survey said that Qatar’s water security outlook is well-aligned to deal with an unexpected and negative event on a national scale.
Strong communication channels and clear goals are vital between the Industry, Academia and Government to ensure a holistic effort. Such an approach would mean nurturing the education of water experts in Qatar and facilitating research and development (R&D) into innovative and cost-effective water technologies.
For example, desalination technologies have quickly evolved – 99 percent of Qatar’s municipal demand is supplied via desalination – but much more R&D is required to reduce the high associated costs.
A holistic approach would also include a clear regulatory framework, as well as help change the way Qatari society consumes water.
Qatar’s inter-ministerial Permanent Population Committee estimates that residents consume 675 litres of water per capita per day – nearly twice the average consumption in the EU. Cuts to water subsidies by Qatar’s utility Kahramma in January marked a significant step.
Industry-Academia-Government must first unite their efforts by mending today’s wobbly bridges of communication. The level of national cohesion will become especially vital as the global spirit of innovation spirit accelerates. For example, the world’s largest renewable energy developer, SunEdison, signed a power purchase (PPA) agreement with a Californian water district to install solar, which will save the district $9.5m in energy costs – plus 20m gallons of water per year.
By aligning Industry-Academia-Government’s goals and R&D efforts, Doha could transform today’s strained water security outlook into a profitable knowledge-based export product in years to come. Developing water expertise at home and exporting water solutions to other countries facing similar challenges would also support Qatar’s goal to become a knowledge-based economy, as per the country’s National Vision 2030.
Qatar is not alone as it works to improve its water security. The UN expects a 40 percent global shortfall of water availability by 2030, with 650 million people currently living without access to clean water.
Gulf Intelligence facilitates knowledge exchange between stakeholders. The Dubai-based firm assists Middle East companies and government entities to tap dormant intelligence and create knowledge reservoirs that can be utilized to bolster their profiles, to communicate with stakeholders and to overwhelm competitors. The Peninsula
DOHA: Qatar needs to develop a holistic water security strategy to address a possible emergency situation. The country needs to develop a strategy to withstand a large scale disaster like earthquake or an oil spill, 75 percent of respondents to a Gulf Intelligence (GI) Industry Survey have said.
The Middle East is located at the junction of major tectonic plates – namely the African, Arabian and Eurasian plates – which causes significant tectonic activity in the region. Plus, the Arabian Gulf hosts the world’s biggest concentration of oil tankers. Yet, only two percent of respondents to the GI Industry Survey said that Qatar’s water security outlook is well-aligned to deal with an unexpected and negative event on a national scale.
Strong communication channels and clear goals are vital between the Industry, Academia and Government to ensure a holistic effort. Such an approach would mean nurturing the education of water experts in Qatar and facilitating research and development (R&D) into innovative and cost-effective water technologies.
For example, desalination technologies have quickly evolved – 99 percent of Qatar’s municipal demand is supplied via desalination – but much more R&D is required to reduce the high associated costs.
A holistic approach would also include a clear regulatory framework, as well as help change the way Qatari society consumes water.
Qatar’s inter-ministerial Permanent Population Committee estimates that residents consume 675 litres of water per capita per day – nearly twice the average consumption in the EU. Cuts to water subsidies by Qatar’s utility Kahramma in January marked a significant step.
Industry-Academia-Government must first unite their efforts by mending today’s wobbly bridges of communication. The level of national cohesion will become especially vital as the global spirit of innovation spirit accelerates. For example, the world’s largest renewable energy developer, SunEdison, signed a power purchase (PPA) agreement with a Californian water district to install solar, which will save the district $9.5m in energy costs – plus 20m gallons of water per year.
By aligning Industry-Academia-Government’s goals and R&D efforts, Doha could transform today’s strained water security outlook into a profitable knowledge-based export product in years to come. Developing water expertise at home and exporting water solutions to other countries facing similar challenges would also support Qatar’s goal to become a knowledge-based economy, as per the country’s National Vision 2030.
Qatar is not alone as it works to improve its water security. The UN expects a 40 percent global shortfall of water availability by 2030, with 650 million people currently living without access to clean water.
Gulf Intelligence facilitates knowledge exchange between stakeholders. The Dubai-based firm assists Middle East companies and government entities to tap dormant intelligence and create knowledge reservoirs that can be utilized to bolster their profiles, to communicate with stakeholders and to overwhelm competitors. The Peninsula
