Minister of Environment and Climate Change HE Sheikh Dr Faleh bin Nasser bin Ahmed bin Ali Al Thani stressed Qatar’s firm position regarding water, and its proactive plans to ensure the supply of water in the long run.
During his speech at the UN 2023 Water Conference currently being held in New York City, the minister referred to what Qatar has done by aligning the goals and objectives of the 2030 sustainable development plan with the goals of the country's national development strategy, to achieve most of the indicators of the sixth goal of the sustainable development goals, related to ensuring access to clean water and sanitation services for all as well as ensuring their sustainable management.
In his speech, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change reviewed the achievements of Qatar in the field of water desalination, stressing that it follows the best modern technological methods in desalination plants, as it produces 35 percent of the desalinated water using reverse osmosis technology, which contributes significantly to improving energy efficiency.
The total production of desalination plants amounted to 538 million gallons per day, and the total demand for water reached 400 million gallons per day.
He pointed out that it is within Qatar's policy to provide a reserve production capacity of at least 10 percent to ensure covering the increasing demand for water for the coming years, in addition to following international best practices in operation and optimal use of water.
On water recycling, he said Qatar follows the best international technological methods in the triple treatment of wastewater, as 80 percent of the treated water is used in various fields such as irrigation, agriculture, cooling, etc. There are also plans to treat and recycle shallow groundwater and industrial wastewater to benefit from it in agriculture and irrigation (in addition to treated water), pointing out that Qatar seeks to treat 50 percent of that water by 2027.
During his speech, the minister mentioned that Qatar is currently carrying out a number of projects and research to find more solutions to meet water-related challenges, including the phenomenon of fish deaths due to the high salinity of sea water, as a result of the disposal of desalination brine from plants in the sea, stressing the importance of this environmental issue for the countries bordering the Gulf, which depend to a large extent on water desalination.
Regarding the catastrophic effects of desertification, the minister drew attention to the launch of His Highness the Amir of State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of an initiative to establish the Global Drylands Alliance, which is one of the international mechanisms aimed at confronting climate change and achieving food security.
The minister pointed out that Qatar is hosting International Horticultural Expo 2023 under the slogan "Green Desert, Better Environment", with the participation of many countries to review the most important mechanisms and technologies that contribute to combating desertification and its effects.
He noted Qatar's fulfillment of its obligations as an active partner in the international community, through its active membership in the Group of Friends of Water, and its accession to the international steering committee of the first high-level international conference on the international decade for action water for sustainable development held in Tajikistan in 2018.
He pointed out that the UN Water Conference is taking place at a watershed stage, marked by loud voices calling for saving the environmental, especially since water is at the core of the challenges the world is facing in the current period, including those related to droughts, food crises, the climate crisis, and others.
He affirmed Qatar's aspiration for this conference to be able to unite international efforts and agree on taking decisive decisions, which will contribute to ending the suffering of the world with regard to water.
At the end of his speech, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change reaffirmed solidarity with all efforts that aspire to unify the actions of countries in the field of water, expressing his optimism about the success of the meeting in mobilizing the political will to face global water challenges in a comprehensive and actions-based manner.
