November 22, 2013
DOHA: A seminar hosted by Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC) called for strategies to effectively manage the diverse sources of water, including rain water in Qatar.
The seminar, titled 'Future planning of water strategy,' was co-organised by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB). Experts from Qatar's construction and sustainability industry discussed the importance of capturing, storing, managing and re-using diverse sources of water, in order to achieve sustainable development, as the country's population increases and demand for water supply grows.
Dr Alex Amato, Head of Sustainability at QGBC, said, "The possibility of local treatment for both black and grey water and the storage of rainwater recycled for irrigation leads us to consider if large-scale storm water and sewage infrastructure is necessary. We need to explore whether this is the time to consider the deployment of new technologies for local water treatment that can substantially improve our built environment." Stephen Herd, Business Development Manager of Polypipe, emphasised the value of water management and conservation in our built environment, and explained how waste water can be utilised effectively through innovative systems and technologies.
He said, "We face numerous challenges in today's urban environment, which includes increased water consumption, rapid urbanisation, population growth, a lack of natural resources, and a host of other significant challenges. However, water can be managed and treated differently in our built environment. The conventional approach to storm water management is treating rainfall as waste rather than as a resource, but sustainable storm water design treats rainfall runoff as a valuable resource."
© The Peninsula 2013
