PROJECTS

Water Resource Plan, Qatar

The problem

Water consumption in Qatar is high despite it being one of the most water-scarce countries in the world. Desalination provides 60 percent of Qatar’s water, but its high cost and low tariffs create a fiscal drain that becomes less sustainable as hydrocarbon receipts fall. The country’s only natural aquifer has been over-abstracted to provide water for agriculture to promote food security. At current abstraction rates the aquifer will be exhausted in the next decade or two.

How we helped

Castalia helped develop principles for sustainable and optimal use of water resources within Qatar’s National Development Strategy 2018-2022. To do this we forecast water demand based on population and economic growth projections, demonstrating the unsustainability of existing water management practices. We advised that, to optimize use of water resources, water from all sources should be treated as being as valuable as desalinated water (the marginal resource). This pointed to guiding principles such as maximizing use of recycled water (treated sewage effluent), promoting water efficiency in both urban and agriculture uses, and building a water reserve through aquifer recharge.