QNA
Doha
The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has announced the completion of main works on the construction of rainwater and groundwater drainage networks in the areas of Madinat Khalifa North, Madinat Khalifa South, Al Messila and Al Huwar Lagoon in Al Luqta area, as part of the World Cup Readiness Project for Rainwater and Groundwater Drainage Networks-Package 6.
Manager of the Drainage Networks Projects Department at Ashghal Eng Khalid Saif Al Khayareen stressed the importance of the project, which will serve many parts of Al Messila, Madinat Khalifa North and South, Al Beday and Al Luqta through the implementation of new 60-kilometre rainwater and groundwater drainage networks.
These networks will accommodate the flows from the mentioned areas and gradually convey them to the main drainage network, which will contribute to reducing rainwater accumulations and serve more than 100 streets. These include the main roads such as Jassim Bin Hamad Street, Makkah and Madinah Streets, in addition to the Omar Bin Al-Khattab and the Immigration underpasses. The project will also contribute to controlling the groundwater table in the area.
Assistant of Drainage Networks Projects Department Manager Eng Khalid Maher Al Qatami explained that the main project works that have been completed included the development of Al-Huwar Lagoon, located in Al-Luqta area, to collect rainwater.
The lagoon area was increased from 44,000 square metres to 64,000 square metres, equivalent to nine football fields. The lake’s storage capacity has also been increased from 165,000 cubic metres to about 350,000 cubic metres, which is equivalent to 17,500 dewatering tankers.
The lagoon has been linked to the existing network to serve as a temporary collection tank during the rainy season, which will mitigate the effects of rainwater accumulation in the future in the project areas, thanks to raising the capacity and storage of the network and reducing flows to the main drainage network.
The works will also contribute to reducing the water level in Al Shaqab Micro-Tunnel and raising the efficiency of existing and future networks.
Head of Drainage Networks Projects Section Eng Hassan Mohamed Mohsen said the total lengths of the rainwater and groundwater drainage networks reached more than 60 km, including a main network with a length of 13 km.
Eng Hassan explained that this network was implemented using the micro-tunneling technique to mitigate the inconvenience caused by excavation and construction works, as most of the works were carried out within residential neighbourhoods and vital streets in the area. This technique also contributed to shortening the implementation duration to about two and a half years, while this type of projects takes at least four to five years.
The network also includes 27 km of perforated pipes that will work as networks for lowering the level of groundwater and storm water drainage, in addition to 20 km of rigid pipes.