Ashghal approvals for building projects in Qatar: drainage, roads and what to expect

Ashghal is the Public Works Authority of Qatar. It owns and runs the public roads, the foul sewer network and the surface water drainage network. A building project needs Ashghal clearance when it connects to those networks, changes access from the road, or works inside the road corridor.

For most buildings, the Ashghal review forms part of the building permit application to the Ministry of Municipality, which people also call Baladiya. Your consultant submits the drainage drawings and site information and answers the comments. Other Ashghal permits follow later, during construction and at connection.

What Ashghal controls and why it reviews your building

Ashghal builds and maintains Qatar's public roads, foul sewers and surface water drains. Your plot sits beside these assets. Your building sends wastewater into them, and your vehicles enter from them.

Ashghal therefore checks that your drainage can connect safely to the public network and that your plot access suits the road layout. It also controls construction activity that could damage its assets, such as pumping out groundwater or occupying the road. Room layouts, structure and fire safety belong to the Ministry of Municipality, Qatar Civil Defence and the other authorities.

Which building projects need Ashghal clearance

As a general rule, Ashghal is involved when a project creates or changes a drainage connection, or changes how the plot meets the road. The exact route depends on the building type, the plot location and the public networks that serve the area.

• New villas, residential buildings, commercial buildings and warehouses that need a new drainage connection.
• Extensions and changes of use that increase the wastewater flow or move the final manhole.
• Restaurants, cafes, central kitchens and bakeries, because their wastewater carries grease.
• Projects with basements or deep foundations where groundwater must be pumped out during construction.
• Projects that need a new vehicle entrance, or any excavation or hoarding inside the road corridor.
• Plots in areas without a public sewer, where the design must show an on-plot solution such as a septic tank.

The drainage approval and the house connection

The drainage approval is a design review. Your consultant prepares a drainage layout for the plot. It shows how foul water from bathrooms and kitchens flows by gravity to a final manhole inside the plot, close to the boundary. Ashghal's house connection manual calls this the terminal manhole. A short pipe then joins it to the public sewer. That pipe is the house connection.

The two steps are separate. The design is reviewed during the building permit stage. The physical connection is requested later through Ashghal's house connection service, with the ownership documents and the approved site plan. Ashghal's manual also asks owners to notify Ashghal before they build the manholes and internal drainage.

Rainwater is treated differently. Ashghal's manual states that storm water pipes must not be connected to the foul sewer system. Roof, yard and ramp drainage needs its own route, agreed for your plot and area. In guidance reported in December 2025, Ashghal reminded owners and consultants to request drainage connections in advance.

Road-related approvals in general terms

Ashghal manages the national road network and the corridor beside it, which engineers call the right of way.

At design stage, the site plan must show where vehicles enter the plot. It must also show how the entrance relates to the road, nearby junctions and parking. Large developments may also need a traffic impact study, which follows its own approval route.

During construction, the contractor needs Ashghal's permission before it digs in, occupies or closes any part of the road corridor. Ashghal offers a road opening permit for occupying the right of way and a traffic diversion plan service for safe diversions. Contractors normally apply for these, using drawings that the consultant prepares.

Drawings and information your consultant submits

The exact checklist depends on the project type and on current Ashghal and Ministry of Municipality requirements. A typical drainage and roads submission includes the items below.

• Title deed and plot plan showing the plot number, boundaries and surrounding roads.
• Site plan with the building footprint, setbacks, vehicle entrance, parking and boundary wall.
• Foul drainage layout with pipe sizes, gradients, manholes, cover levels and invert levels. An invert level is the level of the inside bottom of a pipe.
• The final manhole position and the proposed connection point to the public sewer.
• Surface water layout showing how roof, yard and basement ramp water is collected and discharged.
• Flow calculations for larger buildings, and a grease trap calculation for food premises.
• Basement pumping details and groundwater information, where they apply.

Common causes of Ashghal comments

Reviewers return a submission with comments when the drawings leave a question open. Most comments come from a few repeat causes. We check these points against the architectural and structural drawings before we submit, because one coordinated set draws fewer comments.

• Levels are missing or do not work, so the reviewer cannot confirm gravity flow to the final manhole.
• The final manhole is in the wrong place, too far from the boundary or under a structure.
• Rainwater or swimming pool water is shown discharging to the foul sewer.
• The drainage layout does not match the architectural site plan, often because the building footprint moved.
• A kitchen has no grease trap, or the trap is undersized or hard to reach for cleaning.
• Plot details on the drawings do not match the title deed or the ownership documents.

Other Ashghal permits during and after construction

Design clearance is not the last contact with Ashghal. Its e-services include a groundwater dewatering permit for construction sites, a grease trap permit for food premises and the house connection request. Plan these early, because each one needs its own documents. Timing depends on the completeness of the submission, the location and the authority's workload, so nobody can promise a date or an approval.

Common questions