In search of water

An There is no lack of water around Qatar. After all, the emirate is almost completely surrounded by the Persian Gulf. The coastline is 560 kilometers. Only in the very south there is a national border with the big neighbor Saudi Arabia. However, there is already a lack of water in Qatar. Most of it outside of Doha is desert.

To ensure that people in the capital have enough water, huge amounts of seawater are desalinated and made into drinking water every day. It’s also available in bottles and cans on every corner. In the city, in the stadiums – and in the media center it’s even free. How many varieties are offered to those who are thirsty cannot be answered seriously.

However, the bottled liquids have one thing in common: they all taste the same. Because there is a lack of “real” drinking water in Qatar – one with carbonic acid, one with a special taste, one really refreshing.

The almost desperate reporters shared apartment in the hotel had to cope with a long dry spell before they discovered this long-awaited drink as an oasis in the desert. Only a small, inconspicuous shop around the corner has it, hidden at the bottom of the fridge. Since then, the “Remash Supermarket” has two more regular customers, at least until the end of the World Cup.

The can of the Evervess Club Soda brand with a third of a liter is already available for 1.5 Qatari riyals, which is the equivalent of 39 cents. And yet the sparkling water these days on a business trip in Doha is just one thing: priceless.