"More than 1400 mosques are now ready for Ramadan. At least 25 out of 94 new proposed mosques are completed," said Ali bin Radid Al Muhannadi, Managing Director of Mosque Department of the ministry.
New mosques, living quarters for Imams and Muezzins, and also reconstruction projects costing QR446m are underway. Finance for projects is met by the Awqaf finance, support from donors and by the government through Ashghal. Of this, Awqaf is spending QR42m for 12 projects, QR154m from various donors is being used for 39 projects and Govt/Ashghal is doing 27 demolition projects and 16 reconstruction projects worth QR249m, local dailies reported.
Also, maintenance works of most of the mosques have been completed and 18 more will be done before Ramadan. This year alone, QR32m is being spent for mosque maintenance. Ministry has also done operational maintenance works in 652 mosques within Doha, apart from establishing prayer space for women in 259. Two major companies have been tasked with servicing for 165 mosques in the north and 79 mosques in the south regions of Qatar.
"The construction section of the department has taken in international standards for construction of mosques, though not conflicting with Qatari heritage. Qatar Sustainability Assessment System (QSAS) was approved in for mosque constructions so as the ensure sustainability of the buildings, reduce water usage and also for using solar energy for electricity," said Salah bin Salim Al Bakri from the ministry's construction department.
Added to this, studies are under way in cooperation with Qatar Green Centre, to look into re-use of treated water for irrigation in neighbouring gardens and parks.
"To deal with crowding in mosques especially during Ramadan, there are plans to construct new mosques and demolish old ones. New mosques will be three storied all equipped with lifts, escalators and more washrooms among the other facilities. These would be made based on the population density of the area," he said.
Meanwhile, a committee has been developed to look into technical and administrative details of the mosque, like mosque servicing, documentation and registration etc.
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