Mohamed Darwish, Hassan Abdulrahim, Abdel Nasser Mabrouk, Ashraf Hassan, Basem Shomar
Qatar, one of the world’s poorest countries in terms of fresh water resources, has the highest water consumption per capita in the world (>500 L/day/person). The country is completely dependent on seawater desalination to meet local demands. Limited and overexploited groundwater resources (GW) are used for crop irrigation; however, due to increasing population, Qatar imports over 95% of all food. Qatar’s high volume of wastewater is currently treated using advanced technologies, often to the tertiary level. The quality of the treated wastewater (TWW) achieved allows for the water to meet standards for irrigation use; however, social factors currently inhibit this practice. This paper uses scientific, economic and technical evidence to show that TWW is a valuable and safe resource for crop irrigation that poses minimal risk to the soil, GW, and crops and is a key factor towards Qatar’s food security. Content targets the scientific community, public and policy makers.
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