Doha, October 18 (QNA) – HE Minister of Municipality Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie affirmed that the treated sewage water in the State of Qatar is free of any negative effects on the soil, air, animal feed, meat and dairy, saying that it is “completely safe.”
In a statement on the sidelines of the press conference on Tuesday to announce the results of a study on “The safe use of treated wastewater in irrigated fodder and its impact on dairy and meat in Qatar,” which is conducted by the Agricultural Research Department of the Ministry of Municipality, in cooperation with the Belgian Sustainability Research Center (VITO), HE the Minister of Municipality expressed satisfaction with the results of this four-year study, which tested thousands of samples that proved the correctness and safety of using treated water in Qatar, which was taken from different regions and multiple sources before and during treatment processing cycle and during use.
HE the Minister reassured everyone of these promising results, adding that experts described treated wastewater in Qatar not as “treated water” but as “surface water” due to its proven purity.
He noted that the Ministry was keen, during conducting this study, to adopt the principle of complete independence of the results, focusing on scientific aspects only and depending on specialized international scientific bodies that have a long history and experiences in this field.
For his part, the Director of the Agricultural Research Department at the Ministry, Hamad Saket Al Shammri, pointed to the importance of such a study in strengthening responsibility and joining efforts with the private sector to find appropriate solutions and address the issues facing the country and the increasing challenges the world is witnessing in terms of food security in the aspect related to water scarcity and climate change, in addition to identifying priorities and appropriate options to promote and build sustainable food systems to achieve the sustainable development goals.
He noted that finding appropriate solutions to the challenges faced by societies and countries today in achieving sustainable development and food security can only be achieved by coordinating joint efforts, developing policies and plans based on studied scientific foundations, exchanging experiences and exploiting all possibilities, noting that the Ministry of Municipality is represented by the agricultural sector in its various sectors (agriculture, livestock and fisheries) have an important responsibility to achieve sustainability and food security and to raise the level of self-sufficiency.
He also explained that thanks to the great urban renaissance witnessed by the State of Qatar, the available quantities of triple-treated sewage water increased, and even above the triple, which prompts the continuation and doubling of the pursuit of agricultural expansion to raise the percentage of self-sufficiency in the amount of locally produced fodder to meet the requirements of halal breeding, which it represents an important productive source and a deep-rooted activity for the community, stressing that the commitment of the Ministry of Municipality and within its scientific and research capabilities to address scientific verification and with the highest possible reliability of the effectiveness of using this non-traditional resource and benefit from it in increasing production of feed and animal products and ensuring their full quality for the entire food chain.
Hamad Saket Al Shammri expressed happiness with the results of this study, which was carried out in laboratories located inside and outside Qatar, which confirms its impartiality, accuracy and reliability in setting agricultural policies in the country, stressing that such studies will not stop for permanent reassurance of water safety and welfare and that fodder based on the treated wastewater is completely 100 percent safe.
VITO CEO Middle East, Arnoud Lust, which is affiliated with the Belgian Sustainability Research Center (VITO), which conducted the study, said that this project is a milestone for expanding the use of treated wastewater for irrigation in the State of Qatar, which is an essential resource given the country’s dry climate and water scarcity associated with it, reviewing the summary of the results that were based on three pillars represented in taking scientifically safe samples for all matrices that can affect the quality of milk and meat products, the samples included: treated and untreated wastewater, sludge from irrigation water reception ponds, soil, fodder, feed additives, and pesticides from sites where fodder cultivation is practiced with treated wastewater from North and West Doha for domestic wastewater treatment plants.
He also stated that samples of animal organs (kidneys and livers), blood and milk were taken, which may contain accumulated pollutants, all of them conducted independent chemical and microbiological analyzes for specific analytical parameters, and up to 17,000 analyzes were conducted for more than 800 samples in accredited external laboratories in Belgium and Qatar with regard to immediate analyses.
The CEO of VITO Middle East concluded by saying that the results of this study indicate that there is no evidence of negative effects due to the use of treated wastewater, whether in milk or tissue samples taken from slaughtered animals, and no evidence of a possible accumulation of pollutants in soil or feed crops.
(QNA)