Qatar is planning to construct 24 mega reservoirs in five different parts of the country in a bid to boost its water storage capacity to 2,400 million gallons by 2026, said a report.

The new reservoirs, each of which will be spread over an area of 1 sq km, will be coming up in Umm Baraka, Umn Salal, Rawdat Al Rashid, Abu Nakhla and Al Thumama areas at an estimated cost of QR17 billion ($4.6 billion), reported the Gulf Times.

The Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) said the first phase of the ambitious project includes laying of nearly 650 km of pipelines besides the construction of the reservoirs, stated the report.

The scope of work includes excavation and landscaping, laying of main pipelines and accompanying pipelines and construction of the reservoirs. On completion, these reservoirs, with a capacity of 100 million gallons, are set to become the largest concrete reservoirs in the world, the report added, citing Kahramaa officials. Kahramaa said it is now working on the second phase of the water project, which aims to meet requirements until 2036.

The location of the mega reservoirs has been selected near to desalination facilities at Ras Lafan to the north and Ras Abo Fontas to the south and they will  be connected to the existing water network.