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Doha, Qatar: The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has announced a significant improvement in drainage service performance, with customer complaints falling by 82 percent since 2013 despite substantial population growth and a major expansion of the country’s drainage network.
According to Ashghal’s Drainage Networks Operation and Maintenance Department (DNOM), customer complaints declined to a record low of 2,897 cases in 2025, reflecting years of investment in infrastructure upgrades, operational transformation, and customer-focused service improvements.
The achievement comes as Qatar’s population has increased by more than one million people over the past decade, while the drainage network expanded by 207 percent, growing from 2,836 kilometres in 2013 to 9,707 kilometres in 2025.
Per-capita complaint rates have shown a steady downward trend throughout the period. In 2013, complaints stood at 8,078 per million residents, equivalent to 81 complaints per 1,000 residents. This figure fell to 4,841 complaints per million residents in 2017, a 23 percent decrease. By 2021, complaints had dropped further to 1,527 per million residents, representing a 68 percent reduction compared to 2017.
In 2025, the rate reached just 901 complaints per million residents, equivalent to nine complaints per 1,000 residents, marking a further 29 percent decline and highlighting the effectiveness of Ashghal’s service enhancement initiatives.
Ashghal attributed the improvement to a range of strategic measures, including a significant increase in preventive maintenance activities since 2018, the introduction of digital complaint management systems, enhanced use of data analytics to support decision-making, and extensive upgrades to drainage infrastructure that have reduced network failures.
The authority also noted that faster service-level agreement (SLA) response times have helped reduce recurring complaints, while public awareness campaigns have contributed to fewer duplicate submissions and improved communication with customers.
Officials described the decline in complaints as more than a statistical achievement, calling it evidence of the success of long-term investments in infrastructure resilience, operational efficiency, and customer service excellence.
The improvements have strengthened complaint management systems, accelerated response times, enhanced customer experience, optimized operations, and increased the reliability of Qatar’s drainage infrastructure.
Ashghal said the results demonstrate that service quality and operational efficiency can continue to improve even as demand grows, underscoring the authority’s commitment to delivering reliable and sustainable infrastructure services that support the country’s ongoing urban development and population growth.
