TY - JOUR
T1 - Controlling residential water demand in Qatar
T2 - An assessment
AU - Al-Mohannadi, Hassan I.
AU - Hunt, Chris O.
AU - Wood, Adrian P.
PY - 2003/1/1
Y1 - 2003/1/1
N2 - Qatar has serious water resource problems, following rapid socioeconomic development and massive population increase. Municipal water provision depends on costly and unsustainable desalination. There is little regulation. Native Qataris do not pay a water tariff and migrants pay a subsidized price - approximately one third of the cost of production - so there is little awareness of the true cost of water and use is profligate. This paper discusses trends in water use and identifies issues underlying sustainable water use in Qatar. A questionnaire of respondents chosen to represent Qatari social groups measured awareness and attitudes to water. The results show that previous efforts to control water demand in Qatar, using awareness campaigns, legal restrictions and tariffs, have been ineffectual. The questionnaire evaluated reactions to possible measures to limit uses by raising awareness, using legal restrictions and raising tariffs. From this, a number of policy changes can be suggested, to bring Qatar's water industry towards sustainability.
AB - Qatar has serious water resource problems, following rapid socioeconomic development and massive population increase. Municipal water provision depends on costly and unsustainable desalination. There is little regulation. Native Qataris do not pay a water tariff and migrants pay a subsidized price - approximately one third of the cost of production - so there is little awareness of the true cost of water and use is profligate. This paper discusses trends in water use and identifies issues underlying sustainable water use in Qatar. A questionnaire of respondents chosen to represent Qatari social groups measured awareness and attitudes to water. The results show that previous efforts to control water demand in Qatar, using awareness campaigns, legal restrictions and tariffs, have been ineffectual. The questionnaire evaluated reactions to possible measures to limit uses by raising awareness, using legal restrictions and raising tariffs. From this, a number of policy changes can be suggested, to bring Qatar's water industry towards sustainability.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0041785396&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1579/0044-7447-32.5.362
DO - 10.1579/0044-7447-32.5.362
M3 - Article
C2 - 14571967
AN - SCOPUS:0041785396
VL - 32
SP - 362
EP - 366
JO - Ambio
JF - Ambio
SN - 0044-7447
IS - 5
ER -