(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: The Public Works Authority 'Ashghal' has completed infrastructure services for 7,833 plots of citizens' subdivisions in various areas in the North, West and South of Qatar.
An advanced roads network and integrated infrastructure were provided for these subdivisions through several projects of the Local Areas Infrastructure Programme implemented by the Authority to serve the needs of residents and contribute to improving the quality of life, health and environmental conditions in various areas of the country, in line with the objectives of the Qatar National Vision 2030.
The completed plots are distributed among 21 projects within 12 areas.
Projects in the Northern areas include North and East of Al Kheesa, Al Kharaitiyat and Izghawa, Al Ebb and Leabaib, West of Semaisma Village, Umm Slal Mohammed, Umm Slal Ali West, Um Ebairiya Village, Um Al Amad South, Bu Fusaila North, as well as Al Egda, Al Heedan, and Al Khor.
As for Western areas projects, they include Al Wajba East, Al Mearad, and Southwest of Muaither.
Projects in the Southern areas include South Al Mashaf, Al Wakra West, and West of Al Mashaf.
On this occasion, Eng. Saoud Al-Tamimi, Roads Projects Department Manager at Ashghal, stated that development projects in citizens' subdivisions are of great importance due to their positive and direct impact on citizens' lives, as they enable them to build their homes in new areas where projects provide integrated an infrastructure and an advanced roads network connected to the street and main roads network.
These projects also provide highly efficient services in existing land areas.
Al-Tamimi explained that the recently completed phases serve 7,833 plots, and that they are part of projects that will serve, upon completion of all phases, a total of 18,870 residential plots.
He added that when all work on these projects is completed, they will provide infrastructure services for these subdivisions, including an efficient and safe roads network of about 581 km, as well as 442 km of drainage networks, 290 km of TSE networks, 590 km surface and groundwater drainage, in addition to providing 27,475 lighting poles and 992 km of pedestrian and cycling paths.
For his part, Mubarak bin Feraish Al Salem, Vice-Chairman of the Central Municipal Council and representative of District 15 (Al Gharrafa, Izghawa and South Al Kharaitiyat), said:“Ashghal has made great and clear efforts to implement projects in citizens' subdivision areas according to the highest levels of quality, and we have seen the positive impact of development work on the ground in many areas. We are also proud of the young generation of Qatari cadres and engineers working in these projects.”
Western Areas Projects
Eng. Fahad Al-Otaibi, Head of Western Areas Section in the Roads Projects Department, said that subdivisions served in the Western areas include a total of 1,015 plots, including 605 out of 805 plots within the Roads and Infrastructure Projects in East Al Wajba (Packages 1 and 3), and 410 plots within Al Mearad and Southwest of Muaither project (Package 2).
Southern Areas Projects
As for the Southern areas, Eng. Ahmed Al-Obaidly, Head of Southern Areas Section in the Roads Projects Department, noted that a total of 1,248 plots were provided with infrastructure services, of which 838 out of 1,197 plots are part of the Roads and Infrastructure Projects in South Al Mashaf (Packages 4 and 9), 189 out of 424 plots within Al Wakra West project (Package 2), and 221 out of 914 plots in the West of Al Mashaf (Package 9).
Northern Areas Projects
Eng. Abdullah Al Nuaimi, Northern Areas Projects Manager, said that Ashghal provided services for a total 5,570 residential plots in the Northern areas, including 1,957 out of 5,592 plots within the roads and infrastructure projects in Al Ebb and Leabaib (Packages 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5), 1,437 out of 5,384 plots within Al Kharaitiyat and Izghawa projects (Packages 1, 2, 3 & 4), 648 out of 1,961 plots in the North and East of Al Kheesa (Package 2), 610 out of 738 plots in Al Egda, Al Heedan and Al Khor (Package 1), 539 in West of Semaisma Village (Package 1), 222 out of 273 plots in Umm Slal Ali West, Umm Ebairiya Village, Umm Al Amad South, and Bu Fessela North (Package 1), and 157 out of 633 plots in Umm Slal Mohammed (Package 1).
Through these projects, internal roads network has been upgraded and constructed, and traffic safety elements were provided, included lighting poles, directional boards and pedestrian and cycling paths, in addition to parking lots.
Works also included the construction and development of infrastructure services, including drainage networks, rainwater and groundwater drainage networks, TSE networks, as well as water and electricity lines and other services.
As part of the Public Works Authority's efforts to support Qatari factories and local products, and within the“Ta'heel" initiative launched in 2018, local sources were relied on to supply materials and elements for the majority of project works.
The local components accounted for about 70% of the total materials used in the projects, including drainage pipes, water, lighting poles and bulbs, traffic signal poles and other items which were previously imported from overseas countries.
Special Challenges
It is worth mentioning that the implementation of roads and infrastructure projects in residential areas require a different mechanism than in main roads and expressway projects.
This is due to the special nature of these projects, as internal road works are located in densely populated residential areas that witness high traffic movement, which requires implementing works in stages and multiple diversions, while providing entrances and safe corridors for residents.
Additionally, laying infrastructure lines in these areas requires excavation work during limited hours of the day to avoid inconvenience to residents. Deep excavation work is also carried out on main roads using micro-tunneling techniques, so residents do not notice that there is ongoing work behind the barriers. The high groundwater level in Al Furjan areas also poses a challenge that must be solved before implementing the necessary infrastructure.
Moreover, requests from service providers to provide residential areas with communications, electricity, water, and other services are taken into consideration. Excavation work also considers the presence of existing underground services to ensure their protection during the project period.
Enhancing Communication with Residents
The enhanced contracts of citizens subdivisions projects ensure effective communication with the area residents throughout work implementation, by appointing public relations officers who have experience in work implementation and in the country's culture to coordinate directly with residents and respond to their inquiries.
The Authority has provided a designated number to communicate with citizens, which is 188, which works around the clock to receive all their requests and inquiries and respond to them as quickly as possible.
This is in addition to distributing posters to all homes in the project area, containing project information and contacts of the public relations officers.
Ashghal has also allocated an Online Survey in new and existing areas, where residents can evaluate contractors' performance on a quarterly basis.
According to a KPI system, payments are held and are paid only if the area residents' satisfaction is achieved. This reflects Ashghal's keenness to achieve its mission in delivering world-class quality infrastructure while achieving customer satisfaction.
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