The combined value of Qatar’s real estate transactions hit QR36bn for the first six months of the year, up 48 percent from a year ago, said The Peninsula. This is against an 18 percent year-on-year increase for the first half of 2014, when the combined value stood at QR24.4bn. According to market analysts, the value of real estate transactions has almost tripled during the past five years. However, there is a significant drop in the number of transactions during 2011-2015.

A comparative analysis of the market performance for the first six months of past five years show a significant increase in the combined value of transactions, but a sharp fall in the number. For instance, when the first half of 2015 witnessed a 48 percent jump in the combined value of transactions year-on-year, the total number of transactions declined to 3,050, from 4,503 struck during the same period a year ago. The total number of deals is down by seven percent in the first half of 2015 compared to the deals struck during the first half of 2011.

Ahmed Al Arouqi, General Manager, Roots Real Estate, said: “Qatar’s real estate market has grown manifold over the past five years in terms of value. “But the total number of deals has been remaining flat for the past three years. If you compare the total number of deals struck in first half of 2015 with 2011, you could see the number has fallen to 3,050 from 3,279.” Al Arouqi said the value of land meant for villas and residential complexes in prime locations has gone up significantly  over the past two years. 

For instance, land prices at places like Central Doha and Al Rayyan have recorded an increase of about 30 to 35 percent. And Dafna, West Bay and the Pearl-Qatar witnessed a rise between 40 and 50 percent. The surge in the prices is comparatively moderate in places like Al Shamal and South Doha and in the municipalities like Al Dhayeen, Umm Salal and Al Wakra. The value of land ideal for developing multi-storey residential buildings has jumped between 70 and 80 percent over the past two years because of the guarantee of very high returns for investors from similar properties, he said. 

However, the value of plots found ideal for developing mixed-use properties has hit a record high. It has skyrocketed by 80 to 100 percent in two years, especially after the civic authorities developing new streets leading to these potential land plots, Al Arouqi added.

Qatar-based UrbaCon Trading & Contracting has declared that it has been awarded a QR1.69 billion ($466 million) to design and build an urban area in Ras Bufontas area of Qatar next to Hamad International Airport (HIA) terminal, said Zawya.

Moataz Al-Khayyat, CEO of UrbaCon, has said that "A joint venture between Qatar-based UrbaCon Trading & Contracting (UCC) and Spanish firm Sacyr has been awarded this contract." Al-Khayyat has also commented: "it is another successful step by UrbaCon which proves our ability to lead big construction projects in cooperation with world construction companies such as Sacyr." "Both companies have been awarded the project by Manateq, an organization set up by the Qatari government to develop economic zones across the country," he added. 

"The work covers an area of approximately 4.1 square kilometers, which is Qatar's first economic zone," Al-Khayyat said. UrbaCon Trading & Contracting has been involved in several huge projects over the last few years and has become one of the most respected building contractors in Qatar. In addition to the Mall of Qatar, included among its projects are the Banana Island Resort, the Sheraton Doha Hotel and Convention Center, and the Lekhwiya Stadium at Al Duhail.

UrbaCon is one of 17 companies owned by Mr. Al-Khayat. The companies include general contracting, commercial and residential developments, building materials, various trading companies, hospitals and restaurants with operations in the Middle East.

Inflation is a “serious” issue for the construction sector and the “restrictive” banking norms have “knock-on” effects on the industry in Qatar, which, otherwise, hosts fresh opportunities, according to a new study, said Gulf Times. Besides, there have been shortage of visas for skilled manpower from certain countries and lack of institutional system to test the capabilities of prospective engineers. 

These were encapsulated in a report by International Quality and Productivity Center (IQPC), based on inputs from two experts in the construction sector, ahead of Qatar Contractors Forum and awards ceremony to be held in October this year. Terming inflation as a “serious issue” in Qatar, Mohamed Sheikh al-Souk, deputy general manager, Construction Development Contracting and Trading, said: “Since there is so much demand and the infrastructure here has not quite caught up yet, there are always very high costs associated with the growth of any company such as high rent and consequently high wages”.

Another major challenge highlighted by him was the difficulty in obtaining financial support from Qatari banks due to “ever more restrictive” regulations, a problem that has “knock-on effects” for the industry at large. “It is extremely difficult to obtain banking services from local banks because they have raised their requirements in such a way that it is now more difficult than ever,” he said, adding this directly affected the progress of work because lack of banking facilities “negatively” impacted on the cash flow, implying lesser ability to maintain the momentum of projects through timely payments and material sourcing.

“The scale of the construction boom in Qatar has brought significant difficulties along with a host of fresh opportunities,” he noted. Despite global concerns on weak oil prices, Qatar appears undeterred in its expansion programme. Driven by the FIFA World Cup 2022 and Qatar National Vision 2030, the country is investing over $200bn in construction projects by 2022. The speed of progression for contractors in Qatar was not helped by the lack of available work visas from the government for certain nationalities, al-Souk said.

“Ultimately, this shortage of visas combined with a lack of proper capability testing has led to a situation where construction projects are being delayed due to a shortfall of skilled engineers,” he said, highlighting the lack of proper system to test the capabilities of prospective engineers before they are assigned work. The test undertaken by the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning (MMUP) to provide engineers’ classification is very generic and not sufficient to decide whether an engineer is sufficiently qualified or not, according to him.

Echoing similar lines, Mark Rudman, former regional director of Faithful and Gould, highlighted the difficulty in securing appropriately qualified and experienced staff in Qatar since professional qualifications such as RICS accreditation from the likes of MMUP are not recognised by contractors as sufficient indicators of suitability. Moreover, he said “delayed payment is all too common and it affects the whole of the supply chain, it is almost taken for granted that the contract terms will be ignored or only used when convenient.”

The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has announced that the first phase of the customer service management system has been completed, said Gulf Times. According to a report in local Arabic daily Arrayah, the project jointly implemented by Ashghal and Microsoft aims to enhance services provided to the authority’s clients and make communication easier between Ashghal and members of the public.

A source from the authority told the daily that accomplishment of the first phase would help provide better services to various categories of Ashghal customers. For instance, around 90% of public complaints on sewage-related issues could be dealt with in 24 hours through the new system, the source noted. Besides, any road works-related complaint could be resolved within one to seven days, depending on the nature of the problem. Urgent complaints pertaining to sewage and road works could be resolved within six hours, it was observed.

The Ashghal call centre receives more than 5,000 calls a month, in Arabic and English, and works round the clock.

The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has completed significant level of work on new bridges for Al Wakrah parallel road project, said The Peninsula. The project is in the final phase of building seven bridges, with 77 percent of pillars ready, Al Sharq reported yesterday. 

The road building work has been organised to be completed on scheduled, without creating any inconvenience to the public. Most of the work is done at night to reduce traffic congestions and make it easy for workers by avoiding them from working in the hot sun. The parallel road is one of the major projects being implemented by Ashghal as part of the highway projects. Ashghal started building Al Wakrah parallel road which extends from Al Mashaf to Mesaieed last September. The QR2.18bn project is expected to be completed by 2018. 

The road is an 11km stretch with five lanes on both sides. The project also includes pedestrian crossing, bridge and separate lanes for motorbikes, bicycles and pedestrians in addition to a tunnel. The new road aims to reduce traffic jams in Al Wakrah city as it is connected with several vital areas, especially Hamad International Airport and roads from northwest of Qatar. The highway projects of Ashghal include 30 main roads and highways under 46 contractors. The QR40bn project includes making of 1,000km of roads , 360 bridges and 240 main intersections in Doha and other towns. 

The project also includes integrated sewage networks, electricity, smart transportation systems, lights and signals in addition to drinking water and drainage networks. Of the projects, 30 are being implemented. The remaining are in designing stages while tenders have been announced for several others. Ashghal is also working to complete highway projects over the next three years, including Lusail Expressway, development of Al Rayyan Road, Dukhan Highway Central, East-West Axis roads, Al Muntazah mainline and North Road project.

Building on the success of Future Interiors Qatar 2014, Advanced Conferences & Meetings is proud to announce the second edition of Future Interiors Qatar – powered by Project Qatar – taking place on 7 – 8 September 2015.

Excellent opportunities for the Interior Design & Construction Industry:

• Qatar’s economic growth is expected to be the highest in the GCC in 2015 at 6.9 percent, as the country gears up to meet its infrastructure targets.
• Ongoing and planned buildings sector projects in Qatar are estimated at US$ 82.0 billion.
• Qatar has a mandate to add 45,000 hotel rooms to its existing supply of 20,000 in order to achieve the FIFA minimum lodging requirement to host the World Cup in 2022.
• The total contribution of travel & tourism to Qatar’s GDP was QAR 50.6bn in 2013, and is forecast to rise to QAR 84.7bn in 2024 which will significantly increase the demand for hotel, retail and leisure facilities.

Qatar currently has an estimated US$220bn worth of projects in the pipeline. This new work is already positively impacting the interiors and fit-out market across all major sectors and there are no signs of this rapid growth slowing. The Qatar interiors and fit-out market had an estimated value over US$800 million during 2014, with some studies expecting the value to have doubled by the end of the year.

Future Interiors Qatar will provide a platform for Qatar’s interior architecture and design industry to gather together to exchange knowledge, share best practice and network. It will bring together interior designers, architects, developers and end-users to discuss how to deliver excellent interior design for Qatar’s many projects across the residential, commercial, hospitality, retail, tourism, and leisure industries.

Future Interiors Qatar is an excellent opportunity for industry practitioners to exchange ideas and best practice as case studies from major projects in Qatar and the GCC will be highlighted, whilst also providing a focused platform for manufacturers, materials suppliers and solution providers to showcase their expertise, products and services.

The Future Interiors Qatar conference program has been put together with the assistance of a high-level advisory board, which features:

• Gabriel Gil - Senior Architect and Interior Designer
• Amr Mohamed Elsayed Metwally - Head of Architecture Division, Hamad Medical Corporation
• Dorota Nazarewicz - Head of Department - Interior Design, Arab Engineering Bureau (AEB)
• Omeima Osman Ismaiel, Architect, Interior Designer, British Institute of Interior Design (BIID)

The advisory board are bringing together their combined expertise to develop topics that are highly relevant to achieving Qatar’s Interiors objectives. This important event will host high level speakers from Ashghal, ASTAD, Akoya Design, Arab Engineering Bureau, Hamad Medical Corporation, British Institute of Interior Design (BIID), Qatar Green Leaders, Kasian Qatar Consulting LLC, Qatar Foundation, Open Door Consulting, Abu Dhabi City Municipality, Modelical and Omrania & Associates - KSA.

For further information about the conference, please visit www.futureinteriorsqatar.com. There are currently sponsorship opportunities available for manufacturers and solution providers to showcase their products and services. You can contact Firaz Khalid at opportunities@acm-events.com or call +971 4 3614001 to find out how your business can benefit from this opportunity.

Qatar’s rising water table and sea water intrusion are posing problems for the country’s infrastructure projects in some areas, said The Peninsula. Large-scale development, leaks from older infrastructure and sea water intrusion have resulted in a rising water table under much of Doha. This issue has already reached a critical state in some areas of Qatar.

Qatar Rail recently admitted it was forced to halt the tunneling works of Doha Metro’s Red Line due to ‘flooding’. The contractors said their boring machine suffered damage after the red Line’s North tunnel got flooded. Qatar Rail, without elaborating on the issue, said that the flooding hit its “pilot tunneling operations.” However, it added that the flooding will not have any significant impact on its original project. The Red Line North consists of two twin tunnels, only one of them was reportedly affected by ‘flooding’. 

The construction works of residential complexes in some areas of Doha are also reportedly being hit after the contractors encountered subsurface water flow. “The issue poses technical challenges and greatly increases the risk of polluting the sea and groundwater as construction projects pump water from sites,” said Professor Patrick Linke, chair of chemical engineering at Texas A&M University Qatar, while participating in a discussion on Qatar’s groundwater issues.

In an initiative to improve the standards and procedures of groundwater dewatering on construction sites across Qatar, the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) is working to address the issue. Recently it released a list of contractors that were qualified through a prequalification process to work on groundwater dewatering on construction sites. Ashghal is also working to launch a mega pilot plant for the dewatering of swelling groundwater and subsurface water in the country. Ashghal has plans to set up a new groundwater dewatering station in southern part of Doha next year. The works of the plant would be completed in six different phases within five years, Al Sharq reported.

The plant will be equipped with a state-of-the-art water treatment system with a capacity of handling 12.5 megalitres of groundwater and subsurface water collected covering area 4.5 hectares. The project will have both traditional facility for the purification of five megalitres as well a reverse osmosis plant with a capacity of five megalitres. The company involved in the construction of the project will augment the existing pumping station in the area, enabling it to pump out an extra volume of groundwater and surface water to the treatment reservoir. Uniquip-Hoelscher, a water management company in Qatar, recently hosted a workshop to discuss groundwater issues and witness environment-friendly groundwater treatment technologies on the Gold Line of Doha Metro.

Experts demonstrated how cutting-edge groundwater treatment systems being used by Uniquip-Hoewater on the Gold Line manage to meet dewatering demand of construction while purifying the water.

The Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning has announced plans to develop 11 new public parks across the country, said The Peninsula.

The plans include parks Bu Sidra, Al Mearad, As Sayliyah, Mebaireek, Al Manaseer and other areas. According to plans of the Public Parks Department, two new parks will be developed in Bu Sidra, four in Al Mearad, two in As Sayliyah, one in Mebaibreek and two in Al Manaseer. The ministry ruled out the possibility of establishing new public park in the New Industrial Area due to the nature of activities there and said public parks are mainly designated to serve residential areas. The ministry was responding to a report by the Arabic daily Al Raya. There was a demand in the report to open more public parks in Constituency No. 13, which includes the aforementioned areas.

The Public Works Authority announces that four lanes will be closed on Al Shamal Road in the direction towards the north. Traffic will be diverted to the opposite side of the road which will be divided to two lanes in each direction as of 5 August 2015 for a period of four months.

The Public Works Authority is implementing this diversion to complete construction works of the bridge at Lehwaila Interchange (Interchange 66). Ashghal apologises for any inconvenience, and urges all road users to abide by speed limit, which was reduced to 60 km/h near the diversion to ensure their safety.

During follow-up work on roads maintenance in the country by the concerned department in the Public Works Authority, the department found some damage to the top layer of the asphalt on parts of the Corniche Street. The authority contacted the contractor that carried out the project to fix the damages for which it is liable as per its contract which covers a warranty period for the project.

The repair works will include milling the old surface which is removing the top layer of the old asphalt and replacing it with a new layer of asphalt starting along the whole street from the Post Office Intersection to the National Theatre Intersection as shown in the attached map. The road will be paved in sections to ensure the continuous flow of traffic within the mentioned work area. Maintenance works will start on Thursday 6 August 2015 and end on Sunday 9 August 2015. It is worth mentioning that Ashghal had converted a number of roundabouts into signal-controlled intersections to improve traffic flow in this highly dense area.

The Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning has urged the public to bring to its notice villas and apartments that have been partitioned illegally. In a statement issued yesterday, the Ministry said that it is the duty of people to report cases involving illegally partitioned homes as they pose grave threats to public safety and adversely impact infrastructure and public services.

Tampered electrical wirings and water pipes in illegally partitioned homes pose a grave threat to the safety of people, said the Ministry. Municipal inspectors have been asked to watch buildings from outside and based on air-conditioners and cars parked outside and other such features, they can assess whether there is a violation. Permission then can be taken from the Public Prosecution and a suspected building could be checked for violation. The police will be asked to accompany the civic inspectors and engineers for checks to prepare technical reports of the violation. 

The Ministry has issued stern warnings to contractors and technicians not to engage, on behalf of owners or occupants, in illegal partitioning of villas and apartments. Tampering with service supplies (electricity and water connections and land phone lines, for example) and making connections illegally in a home is an offence that is to be dealt with strictly and in accordance with the law, said the Ministry. Contractors and others found indulging in illegal partitioning of homes will be fined between QR10,000 and QR100,000. 

They must take permission from the authorities before taking an alteration in a villa or apartment. Surveyors and engineers from different municipalities have joined hands with inspectors for the civic clampdown. “Legal notices will be issued to those who have made illegal alterations by the municipality concerned,” the Ministry has said. “No one will be spared, whether the violator is the owner of the property or occupant.” Municipal engineers and surveyors have been roped in because they will be in a better position to assess an illegal partitioning and draw the sketch of the violation.

They would ask the owner of a building concerned to remove the illegal modifications and if possible, seek civic license to regularize a modification if the law and safety conditions so permit. If the violator fails to comply with the instructions, the matter will be referred to the police with a detailed report of the violation. Owners found guilty will be fined between QR250 and QR500 per square meter of the area involved in a violation. If the violation is on a wall, the fine per square meter (linear) will be between QR200 and QR400.

source: The Peninsula

The Public Works Authority 'Ashghal' confirmed its ongoing investment in developing the skills and competencies of Qataris, in order to achieve Human Development; the first pillar of Qatar National Vision 2030. Ashghal continues to focus on strengthening national managerial competencies as one of the leading government entities responsible for contributing to the achievement of comprehensive development and sustainability. Ashghal does so by developing the infrastructure, buildings, and public facilities across the country in accordance with a long term strategy and a clear development plan.

The authority attaches a great importance to upgrading the skills of the human element in particular, due to it being a key component to any successful organisation and an indispensable tool to achieve our goals. We believe that the competency of managers and employees is the common factor across the authority's corporate strategy … from customer centricity which requires a trained and dedicated work team, to strategic partnerships and executive affairs, through sustainable growth and speed of response.”

In order to achieve high levels of efficiency levels by taking advantage of previous experiences in adjusting and improving the team's experiences, Ashghal is always keen to develop short and long term plans and programmes and optimally exploit modern technologies to support these programmes. This paves the way for Ashghal to be ready for change and be able to adapt to the fast implementation of its projects; thus providing and maintaining an added value to its work.

Human Resources Development Programmes

As part of the development of individuals and competencies, Ashghal adopts a set of programmes specialised in team building, most notably the “Individual Development Plans”, which are prepared and implemented for all Qatari employees. So far 80% has been achieved as part of an initial two-year plan (2014-2016) that is subject to renewal. It is worth mentioning that next year's Individual Development Plans have been automated in cooperation with the Information Systems Department; and are now fully electronic to facilitate transactions and reduce the use of paper documents.

Leadership Skills Development Programme

At the leadership skills level, Ashghal completed last year the first phase of the Leadership Skills Development Programme. The programme aims to support the leaders of the authority in facilitating and enhancing ways of interaction, as well as the work mechanism in order to achieve the organisational goals, and reach the highest levels of excellence. This phase included 22 of the top leaders of the authority. Three training workshops were held to develop the required skills under the leadership competency framework adopted by the authority, and in cooperation between the Training and Development department in Ashghal, and an international consultant specialized in the development of leadership skills.

Internal Training Courses

The Training and Development department within the Human Resources Department, and in cooperation with the authority's various departments, is responsible for developing and submitting more than 50 internal training courses every year. These courses cover most of the technical and administrative areas, including contracts and tenders, first aid, and workplace safety; which requires specialised training such as working in narrow or high places. This is in addition to preparing training courses that enhance the team's innovative skills.

Fighting Corruption and Crimes of Public Money

Internal training courses were held for the authority employees, namely; detection of irregularities and fraud prevention course, organised in cooperation with the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Centre. Such courses enhance the legal knowledge of the team, and how to cooperate and coordinate with all the other institutions in the country.

This programme is led by a group of lecturers and experts from the United Nations, the Ahmed bin Mohammed Military College, the College of Law in Qatar University, the Qatar Public Prosecution, in addition to the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Centre. The course addresses the practical skills related to fraud offenses in the execution of contracts and financial and administrative corruption, methods of detection, prevention, and deterrence, skills of detecting corruption in procurement, and other topics in the same area.

Security and Safety Control Programme

The “Security and Safety Control” course was held over a period of four days, and includes intensive training aimed at providing employees with the know-how to adopt the necessary measures in solving security and safety issues encountered at the workplace. This course is important because it promotes awareness about the importance of security and safety which fall under the main responsibilities of managers. The first course in Ashghal was attended by 12 senior employees from the Drainage Networks Operation and Maintenance department.

Management of Construction Implementation in Main Roads and Highways

The “Construction Implementation in the field of Main Roads and Expressways” course is a five-day training specialised in the management of construction elements in this field. The training addresses modern methods of strategic planning, cost control, construction contracts, tender evaluation, risk management, quality systems, key performance indicators, performance measurement, as well as other basic elements for the management of major roads and highways projects.

Training Skills Improvement

Ashghal organised workshops that aim at improving the skills of internal trainers. The workshops address presentation skills, improving the training lecturer skills, and identifying their responsibilities. Courses were conducted in December 2014 for groups of candidate trainers, in which all participants received training certificates.

Promotion of Innovation and Change

The “Promotion of Innovation and Change” programme was designed by one of the world’s leading training institutes. The programme aims at promoting awareness among the authority’s leaders and managers on the importance of innovation and change in the success of any organisation or authority. The programme held its first session in the presence of employees from the Drainage Networks Operation and Maintenance department in Asset Affairs.

Project Management Professional

Ashghal cooperates with the Project Management Institute (PMI) in organising the “Project Management Professional” course. The course is held over five days, and aims at enhancing the skills of project managers with regards to the importance of a project’s time schedule and determining the start and end of each of its stages to ensure its completion on time, as well as the importance of monitoring and controlling the project's progress from inception to delivery.

The first session of the Professional Project Management course was attended by 20 senior engineers and specialised employees from the authority's various departments.

Project Management for Non-Specialists

The Training and Development department organised workshops on “Project Management for Non-Specialists”, with the help of certified trainers from within the authority. The workshops aim to spread the project management culture among all of the authority’s employees, even those not officially specialised in the field of project management. These courses are held in cooperation with one of largest training institutions in the world, which certifies the authority’s trainers as well as the trainees’ certificates.

Value Engineering Course

One of the latest training programmes applied by Ashghal is the “Value Engineering” course. Value engineering is defined as an organised group effort in analysing the functions of a project, matching them with the objectives and requirements of the owner and beneficiary, and then creating alternatives that perform these functions and achieve the objectives at the lowest possible cost, without prejudicing to the quality and the key functions.

An advanced course in this field was held recently by Ashghal, and was attended by 23 of specialised senior engineers and managers in the authority. The training was supervised by the American institute “Safe International”.

Work Planning and Time Management

The “Work Planning, Organising and Time Management” course teaches trainees the necessary skills to organise their daily tasks, plan the next work schedule, and identify their goals. It also teaches them to effectively manage time for all of their responsibilities, and strengthen the interaction and productivity at work. Within the framework of self-development plans, 13 employees from various departments and grades participated in the course, which was supervised by trainers with doctorate degrees in management.

Coordination and Interaction Skills with Various Departments

After studying the actual training needs of a number of employees from different departments, Ashghal organised a course to enhance the coordination and interaction skills with all departments. The course aimed to increase the coordination efficiency between various departments of the authority. This would help in performing tasks effectively creating a horizontal and vertical harmony between departments; thereby improving their performance and accomplishing tasks faster and with higher accuracy. The course was presented by a specialised trainer, and was attended by 18 Qatari employees from various departments and levels in the authority, as part of the self-development plan.

In addition, entities cooperating with Qatar University in the field of worker capacity development were honoured, and Ashghal received the award in recognition of its efforts in this field. Ashghal continues to send its employees to the Continuing Education Office in Qatar University throughout the year in order to participate in the courses of administrative and individual skills development. Mohammed Mubarak Al Qahtani, Head of Training and Development in the authority, received the award on behalf of the authority.

Ashghal’s programmes and plans for cadres’ development represent part of the overall organisational development strategy, which operates at all levels of the authority in a simultaneous and harmonious way.

The Public Works Authority ‘Ashghal’ announced that excavation works for the main tunnel of the Mesaimeer Surface and Ground Water Drainage Project were completed at the end of July 2015. The project will discharge the ground water and storm water into the sea thus decreasing the surface water level. This will in turn contribute to the reduction of pumping costs and to the disposal of ground water in construction projects around the country. It will also preserve the foundations of buildings, and reduce land subsidence due to rain.

The excavation works were carried out by “Al Thumama” and “Al Rawada” Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM). Named after the areas they operated in, the two TBMs were specially designed and developed for this project by the German manufacturing company “Herrenknecht AG”, and were used for the first time in Qatar to excavate deep tunnels.

The completion of the main tunnel marks the end of the major works of the Mesaimeer Surface and Ground Water Drainage project. The remaining works include the excavation and construction of sub-tunnels and inspection manholes along the main tunnel. It is worth mentioning that the main tunnel is approximately 10 km long and reaches a depth of approximately 30 m. It extends several kilometers from the shoreline starting from Woqood petrol station roundabout.

The main tunnel is also connected to the existing drainage network in the areas where it will pass, and will hold surface water from the sub-networks that are distributed in different locations covering an area of approximately 170 km². The main tunnel is ultimately linked to a pumping station with a capacity of 19 cubic metres per second, which will discharge the collected storm water from the main tunnel through an offshore outfall several kilometres away from the shoreline to ensure the protection of the shoreline and its surrounding environment.

The Mesaimeer tunnel was excavated using the Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) tunneling technology which is ideal for Doha's cohesive soft ground and rock conditions.All excavation works were carried out at a depth of 30 metres without disrupting the traffic flow or causing any damage to the facilities or buildings surrounding the tunnels. Inspection manholes will be built during the remaining works of the project to ensure proper operations of the tunnel's facilities. The inspection manholes will also enable inspection and periodic maintenance operations within the operations and maintenance plan which will be implemented through the construction of 21 access shafts from the surface to the underground tunnelsat a depth of around 20 to30m.

The Mesaimeer Surface and Ground Water Drainage Project is one of the key projects implemented by Ashghal as part of its plans to upgrade Qatar’s drainage network. The main tunnel runs under the F-Ring Road from the first excavation site in “Al-Thumama” area and will stretch 5.4 km to the west and 4.3 km to the east into the planned pumping station near the new Hamad International Airport. The Mesaimeer Surface and Ground Water Drainage Project is supervised by “CDM Smith”consulting company, and is implemented by “SaliniImpregilo” construction company. The project is expected to be completed in Q1 of 2017.

The Public Works Authority, Ashghal, announces that one lane out of three lanes in both directions will be closed to traffic on Al Shamal Road near Al Rayyan Interchange as of midnight Thursday 13 August 2015 and will last three months. The closure which is around 300 metres in length, will not affect commuter traffic in any way as an alternative lane will be added in each direction to maintain the same number of lanes as the existing road.

The diversion works have already commenced and the new road layout will be open for traffic on Friday morning for the northbound traffic and Saturday morning for the southbound traffic. The closure is needed to allow for the construction of the bridge that will link Al Rayyan Road to Al Shamal Road which will serve to alleviate and reduce traffic congestion in the Rayyan area. The authority requests all road users to abide by the speed limits, and follow the road signs to ensure their safety.

The Public Works Authority announces that Al Shahama Street located between Bani Hajer Roundabout and Al Afaf Street will be closed for a length of about 210 metres. Traffic will be diverted to Al Ghawth Street Junction located after the existing diversion on the Bani Hajer Roundabout. The closure starts Friday 14 of August early morning and lasts for 2.5 year. 

Vehicles driving on Al Luqta Street and heading from Doha towards Dukhan can skip the Bani Hajer Roundabout and continue driving until they reach Al Ghawth Street from which they can make a right turn to get to the internal local areas of Bani Hajer (as shown in the attached map). This closure is implemented to give way to construction of the Dukhan Highway East project. Ashghal will install road signs to advise motorists of the diversion. The authority requests all road users to abide by the speed limits, and follow the road signs to ensure their users safety.

The Public Works Authority ‘Ashghal’ is announcing the implementation of a closure of the Barwa Village entrance in Al Wakrah area, and replacing it with an alternative traffic signals entrance, at about 2.6 km. towards Al Wakrah, starting from Sunday, August 16, 2015, until the completion of the East Corridor project, which is implemented by Ashghal.

During this period, the traffic destined to Barwa Village will be diverted to the alternative entrance with traffic signals, which will provide drivers with the possibility to make right, left, and U-turns. This closure is designed to allow for the implementation of the construction works and excavation work in the East Corridor Project, during which the entrance to Barwa Village will be affected, as well as to Al Wakrah Road. The Public Works Authority calls for all road users to drive with caution and to pay attention to the new signage that illustrate the closed entrance and alternative entrance during this closure.

Several projects that were devised within Qatar Foundation (QF) and won the Challenge 22 awards will be taken up for the next phase of development, said Gulf Times. According to Telegraph, Qatar Foundation’s fortnightly newspaper, Challenge 22 has selected six ideas to receive expert mentoring and to be taken to the prototype stage, and be showcased internationally. Three of them are innovations from QF. 

Challenge 22 was launched by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy in January 2015, with Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), a research funding entity under QF, as a strategic partner. “With the potential for global impact through the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the winning projects will be taken to the next phase of development, supported by QF,” the paper said. Challenge 22, an annual award programme, is designed to ensure that the global sporting showpiece creates a lasting legacy for Qatar and the region by inspiring and challenging innovators to explore ways of enhancing the tournament and other major global events, while intensifying a culture of discovery, economic diversification, and entrepreneurship. 

Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP), Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI), Qatar Environment & Energy Research Institute, all research and development entities under QF  and the World Innovation Summit for Health, a QF initiative, support the award through their expertise, networks, and facilities, as challenge partners. The winning innovations from Qatar Foundation include FitPet, a health promotion app developed by Dr Ingmar Weber, Senior Scientist, Social Computing, QCRI, and Dr Yelena Mejova, Scientist, Social Computing, QCRI, alongside two partners from iLoveQatar.net. 

Dr Khaled Saoud, assistant professor of physics, Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, won for his submission, ‘Scalable Synthesis of Expanded Polystyrene’, outlining a scientific method for improving the sustainability of stadia. Meanwhile, a team from Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, led by Dr Maher Hakim, associate professor, was among the winners after unveiling ‘Tamm’, a platform to improve the tournament experience for fans, by connecting visitors with volunteer residents. 

“Challenge 22 has “recognised emerging talents that we hope will inspire the next generation of innovators from the Middle East”, said Hamad al-Kuwari, managing director, QSTP. “Throughout the second phase of the award, QSTP will be providing guidance, house mentoring sessions, and workshops, in addition to offering year-long accelerator programmes for the winning ideas. We look forward to working with the winners in phase two of the project that will bring their innovative ideas to life.”