The MPSO project area is located nearshore to the southwestern area of Doha, that has experienced rapid expansion of growth in recent years, with ongoing developments. The need to increase drainage capacity to accommodate storm water runoff and address flooding challenges has become the cornerstone in the development of the project.

MPSO project organisation comprises of Ashghal, Public Works Authority (PWA) project management team, Project Management Consultant (PMC) Mott MacDonald and HBK-PORR as the main Contractor. These entities work collaboratively to achieve and sustain high performance in health, safety, environmental (HSE), and sustainability management.

The project consists of three key features: a pumping station with a capacity of 19.7 m3/s, a 10 km long, 3.7 m internal diameter under seabed outfall tunnel, an offshore riser shaft and 84 port diffuser field.

The other project elements include:

• 10 nos submersible pumps
• Power supply ancillary works including generator, screening, ventilation
• Water quality sampling and online monitoring
• Support facilities such as electrical, hydraulic and mechanical rooms, laboratory, and control room.
• This magnitude of a project entails critical construction works such as deep excavation, underground structural works, Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) tunnelling operation, offshore operation, and underwater construction of diffuser field that have the potential to affect a broad spectrum of HSE and sustainability aspects. The Project established and implemented an effective environmental management system (EMS) to mitigate the environmental impacts while ensuring timely delivery of the project with highest compliance to health, safety, environmental, sustainability standards, contributing to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The main challenge of the project in view of the CEEQUAL assessment was the potential impacts on the marine environment due to dredging, drilling, and other offshore works. To overcome this challenge, a comprehensive testing and monitoring programme was developed and strictly followed.

The second challenge project faced was the very tight project site space, which required extremely well planning of all construction and logistic works and implementation of housekeeping measures. The lack of spoil storage space on site lead to a huge obstacle to find solution for the excavated spoil from the construction of the 10 km long tunnel. Following proactive approach and good communication with the respective authorities, a sustainable solution to reuse the spoil for land reclamation was found and implemented.

Another challenge was the construction of the 10 km long, 3.7 inner diameter tunnel below the seabed with single access/exit point, under high water pressure conditions with potential health, safety, environmental and logistic hazards, which required 24/7, 365 days a year strict planning, control and monitoring of every single operation inside the tunnel.

Last but not least, the construction works continued despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Mott MacDonald and HBK-PORR JV management ensured that the appropriate level of actions was implemented to mitigate the effect of pandemic to staff, workers and public and such actions are aligned to Qatar Ministry of Public Health guidelines and each respective corporate policy for COVID19. In addition, Ashghal executive initiated monitoring of mental health condition of workers and staff to address the effect of COVID 19 to individual mental wellbeing especially for migrant workers who usually experience mental stress being away from their family amidst the peak of pandemic.

The following measures were implemented at the project site and workers’ accommodation camp:

• Requirement for individual Ehteraz application to monitor current health condition
• Health bulletins for COVID19 through emails and notice boards
• Monitoring of body temperature
• Regular cleaning and disinfection of offices and meeting rooms
• Reducing number of passengers inside workers’ transportation vehicles to facilitate appropriate physical distancing
• Requirement to use face mask, encourage frequent handwashing and availability of hand sanitiser
• Provision of work from home arrangement for high-risk people (with chronic illness and 60 years of age)

The vision for the MPSO project was ‘environmental and sustainability excellence’, not only in the operation of this strategically important asset but also during the design and construction phases. Prioritisation of environmental and sustainability management helped the project yield value far beyond its immediate benefits, and contribute to the Qatar National Vision 2030, that has embodied the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The MPSO project has adopted a sustainability driven strategy and implemented a wide range of practices that could be easily adopted by other projects. These practices have helped to create a sense of ownership of sustainability within the whole project team, enabling them to work together towards achieving and delivering a socially inclusive, sustainable asset for Qatar, contributing to the UN SDG 17.

The following environmental and sustainability considerations have been integrated into the project lifecycle. The aim was to secure the best outcomes not only for the project, but for the Qatar nation as well.

• Consideration of climate change impacts and building resilient structures

• Minimising the carbon footprint of the project

• Inclusion of future projections to accommodate the future needs

• Discharging storm water back into the water cycle in a controlled manner

• Coastal management and protection

• Minimising the impacts on marine water quality and ecosystems

• Achieving the required dilution and mixing levels under all current scenarios for full range of operating conditions and flows

• Minimising changes in ambient concentrations and impacts on sensitive habitats such as corals and seagrass

• Using innovative technologies leading to efficient resource utilisation, minimised environmental impacts, cost savings and economic benefits.

• In addition to the design-specific achievements of the project, the project also has resulted in other achievements to date, including but not limited to the following:

• High professional dredging and marine works with insignificant impacts on seawater quality and marine ecology

• Recognition of the project through published papers and presentations on environment and sustainability

• Successful internal, external, and client audits that were responded to by the project

• Systematic and integrated approach in implementing environmental and sustainability management via standardised management tools that could be easily adopted by other projects

• Extremely high environmental and sustainability awareness and commitment of all project personnel

• Seawater quality baseline to ensure future operational environmental compliance

• Comprehensive environmental monitoring program

• Daily environmental performance evaluation to ensure compliance and trend analysis of findings

• Weekly environmental/sustainability trainings

• CEEQUAL compliance workshops

• Provision of comprehensive environmental and sustainability trainings to Ashghal graduates and capacity building for future generations

• Project-specific initiatives such as annual beach clean-up, plastic-free pledge, use of ceramic tableware and metal cutlery to avoid use of plastics, national day celebrations embracing the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) principles.

Project achievements in numbers

Embodied carbon emissions: 9,456,000 kgCO2 equivalent – 31% Reduction achieved

Re-used material: 121 tonnes (0,1% of total material used)

Potable water usage in construction: 70.227 m3 (57% of total water usage)

Re-used material (Wood Packaging): 187 tons (95% of total wood used or 8.6% of total waste on site)

Re-used material (Excavated spoil & Dredged material): 506,589 tons (100% of total excavated spoil)

Recycled material (Metals, Plastic, Cardboard and Paper):  707 tons (32.7% of total waste on site)

Locally supplied material: 49% of total material used

Potable water usage in construction (TBM and Construction) 211,247 m3 – 100% of total water usage(*all underground water in Qatar is saline. Saline water is not applicable for TBM operations)

Waste diverted from landfill: 1,267 tons (58.7% of total waste on site)

The mandate of the MPSO project management approach was to achieve economic benefits and reduce costs in a way consistent with the intended development objectives of the MPSO project by:

• Allocating the resources efficiently; considering the long design life and the durability of the materials and equipment

• Maximising the implementation of sustainable and innovative solutions

• Selection of equipment with low maintenance requirements

• Selection of the goods and services required for the project considering the positive impact on local providers

• Bringing benefits to the country by considering current and future projections

• Creating a value for the Qatar nation, raising the welfare of the communities affected by flooding.

Furthermore, by adaptation the above listed practices and effective resource allocation, use of sustainable and innovative solutions, consideration of durability and long design life, use of local goods and services providers to achieve economic benefits directly contributing to the UN SDG 12.

• 100 % of the excavated materials from the project tunnelling works have been reused for a regional coastal reclamation project, saving temporary stockpiling and double transport

• 100 % of dredged materials from the dredging works were fully utilised during the backfilling works to save material delivery and transportation

• Long design life and use of durable materials have been incorporated into the project design, as summarised below:- Concrete structures: 100 years
  – Outfall tunnel: 100 years
  – Marine underwater buried structures: 80 years
  – Building: 50 years
  – Mechanical parts: 20 years.
  – Instrumentation and controls: 10 years

• Utilisation of the precast beams and slabs for the construction of the MPSO project roof structure saving a total amount of 190 tonnes of steel formwork

• Use of a gravity system with low maintenance requirements for outfall and diffuser field has been used for the MPSO project

• The material selection process ensured that the materials selected for the MPSO project are of high quality, have no detrimental environmental or health impacts, and do not hinder construction in any way

• Segments required for the project were provided from the local segment factory

• Local supply of manpower and local companies for the dredging and marine works, oceanographic buoy supply and maintenance services, and others.

Estimated savings that can be attributed to CEEQUAL

Apart from project components such as time, scope and quality; project cost management is always considered as a key component of project management. One of the objectives of the MPSO project was to identify opportunities where the project could achieve cost savings and sustainable solutions, without compromising quality, health & safety, and environment.

There have been three major project achievements which resulted in significant cost savings for the MPSO project, as summarised below:

• Responsible selection of an alternative Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) manufacturer – the selection of CREG/WIRTH TBM resulted in cost savings of QAR 5,000,000

• Following Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA) principles and using advanced Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology, utilisation of the precast beams and slabs for the construction of the roof structure saving a total amount of 190 tons of steel formwork, with a total cost saving of QAR 2,500,000

• 100% of the excavated materials from the project tunnelling works have been reused for a regional coastal reclamation project with a total cost saving of QAR 11,257,370 for the Al Khor Municipality.

 Adopting best CEEQUAL practices and the strategic project management approach has enabled the translation of the overarching Qatar National Vision 2030 and the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into a successful sustainability roadmap for the MPSO project. The following key factors were considered during shaping of the project sustainability roadmap:

• Focusing on the immediate challenges around flooding within Doha and delivering a sustainable, and socially inclusive asset for Qatar nation

• Addressing current and potential environmental, social, economic concerns associated with the MPSO project

• Developing a shared understanding of ‘sustainability’ while addressing the requirements of our client Ashghal and incorporating their points of views, priorities, needs and aspirations into the overarching project objectives with our client-focused approach

• Proactively adopting and implementing responsible practices to create opportunities to contribute to the UN SDGs

• Effective and innovative decision-making to choose the best direction for moving forward taking into consideration of future generations

• Raising awareness about the MPSO project’s environmental and sustainability commitment by promoting and fostering interactions with universities; publishing articles and presenting at international conferences, allowing a transparent communication on progress on the integration of sustainability into the project strategy

• Capacity building for future generations – Implementing a comprehensive training scheme for the Ashghal graduates at the MPSO project site, to increase the skillset of Qatari staff within Ashghal to expand their knowledge, awareness in a wide variety of project disciplines including environment and sustainability, to increase their involvement in the project through desktop training sessions and on-site visits of the project facilities such as the main project site, the marine works, the tunnelling works, and segment factory.

As can be seen from above, the ultimate goal of the MPSO project is not only to deliver a sustainable project with innovative solutions, but also creating opportunities for shaping the future of Qatar and contributing to the bigger picture by addressing the world-wide challenges that we are all facing.