Civic Bodies Move&to Locate Source&of Gas Smell

The residents  of Al Hamriya in Sharjah, Mushirf, Al Jarf in Ajman and Salama in Umm Al Quwain expressed concerns about possible public health risk and damage to the environment.

Ajman Municipality in coordination with the civil defence checked the air pollution and the report shows that the odour and pollution didn’t exceed the maximum allowable emission limits of air pollutants emitted from stationary sources (factories and companies).

“This means that there is no pollution detected in the air,” said Khaled Al Houseny, director of the Health and Environment Section at Ajman Municipality. He said, “The recent results of the air pollution are normal and didn’t show any pollution.

“The municipality will make efforts to track the odour and determine its source, to contact them in order to solve the problem.”

Rashid Al Shamsi, Director of Al Hamriya Municipality, said the complaints of a large number of residents have been referred to the Environment Section in the main office.

The air pollution detector positioned in the premises of Ajman Civil Defence Department has revealed that Ajman City was air pollution-free throughout 2008 and for the five months of 2009, according to Brigadier Salih Al Matroushi, Director-General of &the Department.

He said the department, in coordination with environment departments in the country, was monitoring the changes in daily air pollution to ensure safety and a cleaner environment for the public.

The air pollution detector system works 24/7 and comes up with monthly reports which is monitored by the Civil Defence and the departments concerned with environment protection.

The Civil Defence Environment Protection Section reviews the reports to keep a check on any problem related to air pollution in the emirate.

Mohammed Saad, a teacher at a private school in Al Jurf area in Ajman told Khaleej Times, “The horrible odour gets stronger in the hot days of summer.”

Mujahed Iqbal, a barber at Musheirif area of Ajman, said, “The smell gets stronger at around 11pm. The municipality personnel pay us daily visits to check on our shops’ cleanliness, but do nothing with the awful gas odour.”

Sajed Hussein, a grocer at Musheirif area of Ajman said, “People can no longer stand sitting at the nearby cafeteria. I wish the municipality does something for this problem.”

Said Ahmed, a resident of Salama area in Umm Al Quwain said, “We have called the civil defence which checked the area, but discovered nothing. They are just passing the buck to the other departments.”

afkarali@khaleejtimes.com

ahmed@khaleejtimes.com