Experts brainstorm over smart water management ideas

Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC), a member of Qatar Foundation (QF), has concluded its ‘Smart Urban Water Management’ seminar, held at Kahramaa Awareness Park on March 26.The seminar served as a key platform to discuss the growing water network in Qatar, pinpoint water conservation opportunities and introduce innovative ideas to preserve water, QGBC said in a statement. Meshal al-Shamari, director, QGBC, said, “We are pleased with the success of the Smart Urban Water Management seminar. Our goal was to share our experiences, facts and studies for smarter water management in Doha, and use data-driven technologies to transform water networks. We achieved our goal by hosting a number of leading academics who discussed and shared their research and insights for a more sustainable future.A number of presentations were made during the seminar by researchers, including Hamish R Mackey, professor, Sustainable Development College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), who presented his research on ‘The Role of Tariffs in Reducing Residential Water Demand in Qatar’; Mahzabeen Manna, Sustainable Development College of Science and Engineering, HBKU, who delivered a presentation on ‘Analysis of the Environmental Impacts of Water Use on the Overall Buildings Life-Cycle’; and Mohamed Alhaj, PhD student in Sustainable Energy, College of Science and Engineering, HBKU, who presented a paper on the topic of ‘Modelling of Solar-driven Multi-effect Distillation thermal desalination System’.Hamoda Youssef, head of communications at QGBC, delivered a presentation on the topic of ‘Water Management Strategies in Green Buildings’.Dr Mackey said, “There’s a strong move towards a more sustainable Qatar, we can see the efforts of Tarsheed and Qatar Green Building Council in promoting sustainability and the sustainable use of resources.”Manna noted, “Based on my work, if we put more refined and sustainable policies for water in Qatar, we will be able to conserve water and ultimately reduce the environmental impact in order to achieve Qatar’s National Development Strategy.” Alhaj added, “In line with Qatar National Vision 2030, which aims to lead the country towards a sustainable future by adopting clean energies, we propose that desalination should be powered by renewable energies.” The presentations were followed by a panel discussion where the audience shared their opinions and solutions for Smart Urban Water Management in Doha and the region.