Water conservation
Objective: Minimise water use during the construction and operation of FIFA World Cup 2022™ sites and promote water conservation in related sectors.
With one of the world’s lowest levels of rainfall, Qatar relies predominantly on desalination for domestic and industrial water demand, which depends on energy-intensive cogeneration processes and increases seawater salinity levels.
The FIFA World Cup 2022™ will have an important impact on water consumption during the staging of the tournament, when the large influx of attendees will drive a large spike in domestic water demand. In addition, a significant quantity of water is required for dust suppression during construction activities, as well as for stadium operations, where it is used for pitch and landscape irrigation, evaporative cooling, cleaning, conveniences such as toilets and catering facilities, and fire suppression systems.
The State of Qatar has been implementing initiatives to increase water efficiency and reduce per capita consumption, as well as maximising reuse of treated sewage and industrial water for various uses. Qatar reuses 50% of treated wastewater in agriculture and landscaping and aims to develop infrastructure to achieve reuse of 70% of its wastewater in national projects by 2022. It is also investing in infrastructure to expand its water supply and the development of mega reservoirs for potable water storage to support the large number of people expected to be in Qatar at the time of the tournament.