The Source of All Life

1. Gurvan Dersel, General Manager at Qatra WaterSolutions, spoke with The Sustainabilist about how the water system has been impacted by COVID-19 and Qatra’s continued operations to safeguard people and the environment Now more than ever, with the COVID-19 epidemic and the holy month of Ramadan, is the time to reflect on the scarcity of the resources we use on a daily basis. How is Qatra assisting in safeguarding the environment and its precious resources?

With the lockdown in full effect, the majority of people are remaining in the safety of their homes. This generates a large consumption of water and subsequently results in a lot more wastewater. Wastewater needs to be treated as releasing it would be a health hazard and it would also greatly impact the environment.

Qatra Water Solutions works around the clock to clean and recycle wastewater so it can safely be returned to the environment. During this period, Qatra is facing an unprecedent demand for wastewater treatment from all over the Emirate of Sharjah. There has been an increase of up to 20% in the flow of wastewater as compared to the average, putting our wastewater treatment assets under pressure. However, our team is still hard at work to deliver.

2. What is Qatra mission and what strategy has been implemented to achieve it?

Our mission is to provide Sharjah with an efficient and integrated wastewater and water reuse cycle. Qatra is an essential link between public health and the necessity for sustainable urban development.

To implement this, we focus on developing facilities to reuse the treated water for applications other than the traditional landscaping. Improving our assets is key to us. We have successfully conducted a pilot to control the plant operations using artificial intelligence in order to increase output and quality. We are also developing a new type of wastewater plant with a technology not yet used in the UAE and that will bring about a substantial saving on power consumption.

3. Without power, water and wastewater, the majority of our daily activities would not be possible. Is Qatra continuing to operate during these difficult times?

Wastewater is a vital service for public health and our treatment assets are critical to Sharjah, we need to be 100% operational and keep the plant running 24/7. The management of risk related to infection is something normal due to the nature of a wastewater treatment plant. During the ongoing pandemic, we have taken stringent measures to ensure the safety our of employees who are at the core of our operations and follow government guidelines for the same.

No salary cuts or redundancies have been made at Qatra. During these tough times, we have made sure all our employees feel safe and secure. As a wastewater treatment plant, we need our employees now more than ever.

Gurvan Dersel

Any strategic decision must have a positive social and environmental impact.

4. How is Qatra supporting those working on the front line, the silent heroes that are providing essential services of water, wastewater and electricity to Sharjah homes and businesses?

With regards to the team working on-site, we have taken strict measures to isolate them from the outside world. The core team working on the plant has been provided with accommodation on-site and are practicing social distancing thoroughly. The company has also made contingency plans to ensure continuity under any circumstances.

We also focus on the protection of our 1,700 customers as they are in contact with the Sharjah community to deliver their duty. We ensure that the public guidelines are strictly respected, such as maintaining social distance and wearing gloves and masks.

5. CSR has become vital for any business that wants to succeed in today’s market. How has Qatra incorporated this management tool and what benefits have been drawn from it?

By nature, Qatra’s purpose is to be responsible towards the community and the environment. Any strategic decision must have a positive social and environmental impact. We are proud today that, in only two years, we have already made a significant contribution towards the community through the substantial reduction of waste going to the landfill. The partnership with Sharjah Cement to provide the company with an eco-fuel has been another milestone which has had a great impact on the Sharjah ecosystem. Very soon, we will launch the first facility producing and selling recycled water in Sharjah. We are also very proud of our large lakes hosting a variety of flora and fauna, including UN nearly-threatened bird species.