Within its efforts to promote environmental sustainability in all its projects and spread awareness on effective societal participation to protect the environment and preserve resources for next generations, the Public Works Authority ‘Ashghal’ has organized an event on the World Environment Day 2023. This coincides with the completion of stormwater networks within the Flood Prevention Scheme in Doha South areas of the Drainage Network Projects Department, which aims to provide a solution for stormwater accumulation in various areas, including Al Wakra.
More than 100 volunteers and environmental activists participated in the event, along with the project team, as they cleaned Al Wakra beach from waste and harmful plastic materials. During the event, the project team also participated in removing construction waste, temporary pumping systems and pipes that were used during the rainy season, in addition to leveling the beach ground and extending a layer of clean sand.
On this occasion, Eng. Khalid Saif Al- Khayareen, Drainage Networks Projects Department Manager at Ashghal, said: “The authority participates in the World Environment Day celebrations to confirm its commitment to preserving the environment during the implementation of infrastructure development projects in the country, and to contribute to achieving Qatar National Vision 2030 in the field of environmental protection, in cooperation with all entities in Qatar.” He stressed that the participation of this large number of volunteers in cleaning Al-Wakra Beach reflects the increasing awareness of the importance of protecting the environment among members of society.
Eng. Khaled Al-Khayareen pointed out the importance of cooperation between the Public Works Authority and the Ministry of Municipality represented by Al-Wakra Municipality, which helped to overcome many challenges that faced the work team during the project implementation phases.
The authority, represented by Eng. Khaled Saif Al-Khayareen, honored the participating guests as well as the Flood Prevention Scheme Project’s work team on the part of Ashghal, the main implementation contractor, Hamad Bin Khaled Contracting Company, and the consultant company supervising the project, Parsons International Limited, in recognition of their contribution to environmental protection and community participation in Al Wakra area, in addition to providing a safe work environment in the project which resulted in achieving 7,000,000 man-hours without lost-time-injuries (LTI).
Flood Prevention Scheme - Phase 3
Regarding the Flood Prevention Scheme project, Eng. Khalid Al-Qatami, Drainage Networks Projects Department Assistant Manager, stated that the implementation of the third phase of the project began in April 2020 with the aim of providing practical solutions to the problems of stormwater accumulation in more than 35 areas North and South of Doha, including Al-Wakra area, which will contribute to meeting the needs of the population and improving the quality of life and environmental conditions there.
As for Al-Wakra area, Eng. Khaled Al-Qatami explained that the design process took into account the volumes of rain expected to fall in Al-Wakra area and its vital sites such as Al-Wakra Main Road and the areas surrounding Al Janoub Stadium, Al-Wakra General Hospital, and some residential areas, in addition to the old Al-Wakra Souq and the surrounding area. The ground tank is designed with a capacity of 40,000 cubic metres.
Eng. Khaled Al-Qatami pointed out that the main stormwater drainage networks with a total length of 75 km have been completed, of which 19 km of networks are in Al-Wakra. These networks cover 108 flood control points in the North and South of Doha.
Societal and Environmental Contribution
The Flood Prevention Scheme - Phase 3 had effective societal and environmental contributions, in coordination with Al Wakra Municipality and concerned entities in the country, as the backfilling materials resulting from the expansion of Al-Wakra port years ago were leveled with quantities that amounted to 340,000 cubic metres on Al-Wakra coast.
Works implemented during various stages of the project also contributed to the recycling of 470,000 tonnes of backfills materials so far, in addition to the recycling of more than 29,000 cubic metres of scraped asphalt from existing roads prior to excavation works, which were reused in paving temporary roads and traffic diversions at the project site, thereby reducing dependence on materials imported from abroad.
On the other hand, water resources resulting from the groundwater dewatering works were exploited after being treated by primary methods and used in dust and sand suppression during the leveling of the backfilling materials, instead of using drinking water.
These works have contributed to reducing the carbon footprint of the project by a total of 2,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide in Al-Wakra area alone, equivalent to the amount of harmful emissions absorbed by more than 78,000 mature trees over a period of one year.
Continued Efforts to Protect the Environment and Achieve Sustainability
The Public Works Authority ‘Ashghal’ continues its efforts to incorporate sustainability and environmental protection in its projects and create a balance between economic growth and environment preservation, as part of its commitment to play a vital role in contributing to the achievement of Qatar's strategic objectives, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030.
Ashghal has implemented several systems, programmes and initiatives aimed at engaging all stakeholders from from consulting companies, contractors, suppliers, workers and others, and encouraging them to adopt positive environmental practices, create solutions and new methods, and apply them during different stages of project implementation, in addition to recycling materials used in construction work.
Ashghal has constructed three areas designated for recycling building materials located at strategic sites in north, west and south of Doha, where main building material wastes, such as excavation products, recycled asphalt, concrete, and demolition waste is processed and recycled within projects rather than being disposed of in landfills.
Ashghal established three strategically located construction material Recycling Yards to the North, West, and South of the capital city Doha, where construction waste materials (excavated material, reclaimed asphalt, concrete, and demolition waste) were processed and recycled instead of disposing to landfill.
Among Ashghal’s recycling initiatives, excavated material is processed and treated to meet the quality requirements for use in backfill, subbase, road base and pipe bedding. Demolition and concrete waste are processed to separate its components, steel waste is further recycled and reclaimed gabbro from concrete is used to treat and improve the quality of processed excavated material.
Treated water produced daily by sewage treatment plants is used in several ways that support environmental sustainability, such as irrigation of green spaces, road beautification, and feed farms, as well as in cooling systems and washing the sand used in road and building projects.
It is worth mentioning that many of Ashghal’s notable environmental management and sustainability achievements were internationally recognized and awarded by some of the most prestigious institutions in the sector as a result of the implementation of innovative tools.