Tribune News NetworkDohaThe Al Wakrah and Al Wukair Sewage Treatment Works (STW) project is the first public-private partnership in the field of sewage network projects in Qatar. According to Public Works Authority (Ashghal), it is considered a pioneering step towards enhancing the participation of the private sector in implementing infrastructure projects and public services as part of the Qatar National Vision 2030.The project represents an attractive investment opportunity that paves the way for new opportunities and broad prospects for partnership between the public sector and major global investors, and enhances Qatar’s position as a country characterized by economic and financial stability, with a developed infrastructure that attracts many partners, welcomes foreign investments, and grants the facilities and support needed by local and global alliances to enter into Implementation of huge infrastructure projects in all its fields.The importance of this partnership is not limited to providing opportunities and new horizons for more investments, but also to return additional benefits that are generally reflected in the economic prosperity in Qatar.Spurring local economyThe project will enhance the local value through local operations and spending within the country, to develop business, develop human resources and stimulate productivity in the local economy. The project will include a large amount of local Qatari participation, during the plant’s construction phase through the participation of many local Qatari companies in subcontracting the services required by the project such as civil, electrical and mechanical engineering services, and support services such as transportation, storage, waste management and disposal, in addition to legal, financial, insurance and quality assurance services.During the project operational period, it is expected that 60% of the project’s fixed costs will be directly spent on local purchases, that include factories of construction materials, civil works such as earthworks, concrete, piping, etc., as well as electrical and mechanical equipment and other services necessary for the plant’s maintenance.On the other hand, this project contributes to enhancing the competitiveness of companies and developing the local private sector, as the project enjoys a large local contribution. In addition, several parts of the project are scheduled to be delivered through local contractors.Meeting needs until 2045The first phase of the project represents only the beginning, as the project will provide long-term investment opportunities through future expansion projects based on public-private partnership. This will provide new investment opportunities and increase capital investment, which in turn enhances the economic sectors in Qatar, whether through the plant’s expansion works or operation and maintenance works.In this context, Eng. Abdulrahman Mohammad Al Sulaiti, Head of Treatment Plants and TSE Network Projects Section at Ashghal’s Drainage Networks Projects Department, said: “The treatment plant and its facilities will be designed based on the volume of sewage flows expected for the year 2026, with an average initial capacity of 150,000 cubic metres per day. North of Al-Wakrah and Central Al-Wukair are one of the most important beneficiaries of the project at the current stage.”Abdulrahman Al-Sulaiti added: “The final expansion of the STW is expected to be carried out in the future to accommodate the expected flows until 2045, as it is planned to increase the plant’s capacity up to 600,000 cubic metres per day if needed in the future.”Al Wakrah and Al Wukair Sewage Treatment Works (STW) project is located near Mesaieed city in the South of Qatar. It will be part of Ashghal’s plan to develop an integrated sewage infrastructure in Al Wakrah and Al Wukair areas, which have witnessed significant population growth and urban development in recent years, thus increasing sewage flows and the need to develop existing infrastructure to meet the current and future needs of the population.The construction of the new plant and its supporting networks aims to cover this increasing need for sewage treatment and the use of more environmentally sustainable treatment methods. It will also allow in the future stopping old treatment plants with limited capacities, as some sewage flows are currently being transferred from the collection areas in Al Wakrah, Al Wukair, and Al Mashaf through sewage tanks, and are treated in the Doha South STW, which is operating at full capacity. This requires diverting part of these flows that exceed the capacity of the station to another site.This project supports the development of sewage networks implemented by Ashghal in the area through separate projects. These networks will transfer the flows coming from the collection areas via a series of gravity-operated sewage tunnels to the pumping station, and from there to the treatment plant facilities that will be established within the new contract.The current phase of Al Wakrah and Al Wukair STW project will meet the flows coming from the collection areas in Al Wakrah and Al Wukair, and part of the flows from the collecting area of the Industrial Area STW. Subsequent phases of the plant will also meet the expected additional flows from Doha South STW, the Industrial Area STW, and from collecting areas in Qatar South.Sustainable Development The project contributes to achieving Qatar’s objectives in the field of environmental sustainability and the optimal use of natural resources, as well as the preservation of groundwater from pollution by sewage water. The TSE that will be produced by the plant will be used for irrigation purposes with the aim of increasing green areas, fruitless trees and aesthetic plants in public parks and roads in different areas of Al Wakrah, Al Wukair and other areas in the future.The treated water will also be used to supply feed farms with irrigation water. The excess treated water will be transferred to storage lakes for later use when needed. Treated water can also be used in cooling projects and groundwater regeneration, as well as in washing sand used in projects and controlling dust at work sites.TSE as good as tap waterAl Wakrah and Al Wukair Sewage Treatment Works project adopts the highest international standards and specifications approved for wastewater treatment, where primary, secondary and tertiary treatment techniques are used, followed by water purification through ultrafiltration units, ultraviolet rays and chlorine. Through these advanced processes, the plant will produce treated sewage effluent of very high quality.
