Squeaky clean Doha awaits 

Pristine, polished, spotless, sparkly, spic and span, ship-shape, shiny … There just aren’t enough superlatives to describe just how comprehensively clean Doha is.

This Middle Eastern city is squeaky clean on the grandest of scales.

For my sake, and for the benefit of reading this post, please imagine the shiny luxury of a five-star mirrored and marble hotel lobby.

Now re-imagine an appropriate version of this for the city’s walkways, shopping malls, metro stations, high-rises, sporting venues, highway verges and even open public spaces and places.

First impressions

In fact, add public toilets to the list too.

The very first photograph I took in Doha was that of a toilet within Hamad International Airport which, incidentally, has just been named the world’s top airport again.

I was completely gobsmacked – my jaw physically dropped – when I first saw the shiny marble floor, the gleaming toilet and plush, flush buttons, along with the sweet-smelling aroma of the airport toilets.

I suspect my reaching for a cellphone camera before any thought of reaching for the loo paper was because of my experience of public toilets till then. The contrast was spectacular. I don’t think I need to say more, do I?

Anyway, I just had to capture this good-and-clean-and-fresh, tra-la-la moment. (Please do hold onto the washing powder jingle as you read the post since I have been capturing these moments ever since.)

You see, I am – and you will be too – completely smitten with the cleanliness of Doha.

All that glitters

But of course, in keeping with the metaphor, all that glitters is not gold, even in an opulent country like Qatar. While I had expected the Qatari capital to take a top spot in the world’s cleanest cities, it doesn’t even feature. A spic and span, litter-less city is might be, but it also has significant environmental issues in terms of air, water and land pollution, along with smog and acid rain!

According to the Air Quality Index, the air quality average is “unhealthy for sensitive groups” (read asthmatics and those with lung conditions). In fact, the country is ranked 13^th  in the world in terms of the worst air quality.

But this, you do not see – the tiny pollution particles – unless there is a sandstorm, or you put your finger across a seemingly clean surface to discover dust. I have friends who complain about dry eyes and sore throats but I personally have not had any health or wellness issues.

There are other “cleanliness” concerns too as you will learn at the end of this blog post.

However, as with all things in life, I prefer to focus on the positives. In this case, it is the “extreme clean” of its streets, sidewalks and public spaces.

Yes, Qatar is a wealthy country, and it shows, not just in its opulent infrastructure and luxury lifestyle but in its governance and attention to detail. This includes creating a beautiful and ultra clean environment for its 2.8 million residents – and all those coming for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in November and December.

For this it is surely deserving of accolades.

So, sit back and enjoy all the many-splendored dream clean scenes of Doha. 

    

Clean dream scenes of Doha

Window wonderland in Doha

This Qatari first-world commitment to cleanliness extends upwards too. The skyscrapers that dot the Doha city centre skyline are kept clean, thanks to an army of window-wiping trapeze artists.

During our time at the rectory with a view, we witnessed countless window cleaning sessions. We even had three men drop by to clean our own massive panes. One gave me a cheery wave and smile as I dared to acknowledge their presence, hyperventilating at the thought of their hanging there 26 floors up.

What a job!

Doha cleaners

Cleaning is a massive enterprise in the Middle East. Labour brokers recruit people to clean – be it in people’s homes, on the city streets, for big businesses or for specialist needs, as within the oil and gas industries – from around the globe.

While I don’t have the industry’s financial figures, bar the hourly rate of between QAR25 to QAR40 a hour for domestic workers (that’s about R115 to R185 an hour), I know cleaning is big business because of the sheer volume of those involved.

I am my own domestic goddess.

There are cleaners everywhere as evidenced by the following photographs.

Doha’s unseen spoilers

No place is perfect.

At face value you will commend the clean dream scene that is Doha. I did (and still do). With time you learn there are some dirty smudges below the surface.

First up are the drains! This is apparently a wide-spread challenge throughout the Middle East. You may not see the mess below, but boy, oh boy, you will smell it. Even the plushest five-star hotels grapple with the underground enemies of sewerage and drainage systems.

Another bug bear is how way behind-the-times Qatar is in terms of recycling.

The move to re-use, reclaim and recycle has started but our own African continent is environmentally streets ahead of this tiny, petrol- and gas-rich peninsula. I mean, they’re still doling out plastic straws in restaurants!