Developing sustainable construction practices and indicators for infrastructure projects in Qatar
Authors: Panuelos Evangeline 
Published: April 2017

Main contractors for infrastructure projects need to comply with the following guidelines related to sustainability: (1) Law of Qatar; (2) Qatar Construction Specification 2015; (3) Environmental Impact Assessment (performed by an independent party, paid by the Employer); (4) Main Contractor's Contract Environmental/Sustainability Stipulations/Clauses. Infra projects that involve voluminous excavation works and subsequently dewatering like construction of tunnel/underpass and bored piles are required to comply with sustainability regulations in place. In the construction of tunnel/underpass, the main contractor should follow various processes to ensure compliance with sustainability requirements as per contract. First, the main contractor needs to get soil samples for every 5000 m3 for soil investigation. Then, reports are given to a consultant for review and any findings. Unfavorable results are reported to the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) for remediation. One type of remediation would be the injection of air to the contaminated areas to promote bacterial life that lives on hydrocarbon which is biodegradable. This is a long but effective process. Dewatering pumped water can be released to the sea through a 30 mm-diameter flexible rubber pipe. Deep well can be constructed and the water is pumped directly within. An EFA (environmental flood area), which is a temporary infiltration evaporation basin, is constructed (as per the associated cross-section and plan drawings). During the construction, a trained environmental inspector conducts daily site visits to check for silt. When the silt is mixed with seawater, it endangers the ecosystem, polluting its inhabitants with hydrocarbon (oil or diesel). If the inspector discovers hydrocarbon during dewatering, the entire volume of the polluted water is pumped into a tank and transported to Messaied Sewage Treatment Facilities for treatment. The treated water is then transported back to the sea. Caution should be exercised to remove foam and any wastage instantly, and any such incident should be reported immediately to the Consultant Reporting System. A good reporting system is recommended to allow clear and easy monitoring and controlling of all environmental sustainability issues. The recommendation guidelines are as follows. (1) A daily report should be submitted by a trained environmental engineer (usually trained by an in-house environmental manager employed by the main contractor). (2) All reported incidents should be properly documented, and a workflow on where to direct these reports and what should be done to remedy the incident, be it short term or long term, is followed. (3) A weekly report is completed and complied by the main contractor as per the contract. This will be a summary of the daily reports including the findings containing a key performance indicator calculation and rating plus a graphical representation in color. The weekly report is not required by the Ministry of Environment, nor is it specified in the Qatar Construction Specification; however, this is a vital KPI monitoring tool that enables immediate assessment or remedy if required. (4) A monthly report is provided by the main contractor, which shows all reported incidents for the month. It is reported to the consultant who in turn presents it to the MME.