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Dubai progress raises pollution concern
DUBAI — Dubai's position as the region's business and trade hub has triggered ambitious development projects across the emirate and resulted in a significant rise in its population.
With the juggernaut that is Dubai's economy rumbling on ahead with even bigger projects and more people in the city and even more vehicles on its roads, the need for protecting environment has acquired even greater significance for the policy-makers in the emirate.
While the emirate is making headway in developing all sectors of its economy, a small group of individuals ensure the price Dubai has to pay for its economic drive, in the form of environmental damage, is kept in check.
The Environment Protection and Safety Section (EPSS), one of the most important sections of the Environment Department at Dubai Municipality, is dedicated to the protection of all spheres of environment.
Headed by Reda Hassan Salman — a UAE national with a Masters (with honours) in Chemical Engineering from the University of Louisville, USA, and a Masters in Environment Assessment and Evaluation from the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK — the EPSS manages a range of projects and programmes that revolve around air and marine water quality monitoring, wildlife sanctuaries, industrial control, management of dangerous goods and hazardous wastes, and above all public safety.
Air pollution
"Our air quality monitoring programme will complete two decades in 2008, although the existing air quality monitoring network, which was the first of its kind in the region at launch, was established in 1993," Salman told Khaleej Times in an interview.
"The new programme is an interfaced electronic network of real time analysers providing a 24-hour continuous recording and archiving of air quality data from five stations strategically located around Dubai. Each station is equipped to run automatic analysis of air, as well as acquisitions system which is connected to a central station located in Deira," he said.
Salman noted that some of the air quality determinants monitored by the network include pollutants such as carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrous oxides, hydrocarbon, ozone, particulates and lead. The data thus collected are analysed and stored to study the effects of emissions from industrial premises.
“The EPSS also carries out continuous inspection to ensure compliance of air emission discharge into the atmosphere by industries as well as co-ordination with Dubai Police in reporting 'smoky vehicles' on the emirate's roads. The section is now reaching out to the public with real-time results from its air quality monitoring stations made available on its web site,” he explained.
As part of its industrial control objective, the section has prepared a comprehensive monitoring programme and licensing system. "It ensures that industrial premises comply with the specified code of practice and technical guidelines on waste control as well as occupational health and safety aspects," he said.
Dangerous goods
Hazardous wastes also comes under the jurisdiction of the EPSS. Through a comprehensive permit system, the section is able to monitor the amount of imported dangerous goods.
"Since the EPSS can determine the quantity, type and location of dangerous goods imported to Dubai, it can predict in advance which establishment would generate hazardous waste,” Salman noted, adding that the system allows the section to control the transport and disposal of hazardous waste.
According to him no hazardous waste can be generated without the prior written approval of the section. In addition, the section also specifies the type of vehicle (for transportation of hazardous waste), its packaging, treatment, handling, as well as the disposal site in accordance with the type of hazardous waste.
Marine environment
Dubai has one of the busiest ports in the world. Dubai Creek on the other hand has remained an important part of the emirate's trading and import and export activity for decades.
"The year-round activity in Dubai's ports, the creek, and the existing and upcoming marinas put immense pressure on marine environment. The Marine Environment and Sanctuaries Unit (MESU) of the EPSS plays a vital role in preserving marine environment by monitoring the quality of water in the creek, ports and other locations."
MESU has prepared a monitoring programme to check the biological and chemical changes of water quality. The unit also carries out regular patrolling and clean up of the creek, for which purpose it employs and operates a number of high powered boats and skimmers for patrolling and removal of floating debris at Dubai Creek and in Hamriya Port.
Wildlife sanctuaries
Dubai has a number of protected areas in Mushrif, Khawaneej, Hatta, Ras Al Khor, and Jebel Ali; and owing to their unique ecological features, two of these areas — Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary and Jebel Ali (Marine) Wildlife Sanctuary — were declared wildlife sanctuaries in 1998.
Located in the upstream end of Dubai Creek is the Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary. Covering an area of about 6 sq-km, the sanctuary is a year-round host to many migratory birds.
Jebel Ali Marine Sanctuary, located between Jebel Ali and Ras Ghantoot, extends two km offshore, and is spread across 80 sq-km of coastal land. The sanctuary has a unique coral reef-based ecosystem, which serves as habitat and spawning ground for various species of marine flora and fauna. The EPSS, through MESU, is responsible for the protection of sanctuaries and protected areas across the emirate of Dubai.
Public safety
An important part of the EPSS, the Public Safety Unit (PSU) is responsible for maintaining safety at all public places, including parks, cinemas, shopping malls, sports facilities, swimming pools, hotels and special events venues and sites. PSU is responsible for the enforcement of relevant safety regulations, and carries out regular safety inspections of target premises.
The unit investigates accidents, checks safety of equipment at industrial premises and at workplaces and most importantly approves imported toys.
According to Salman, the EPSS was in the forefront in support of the nation-wide switch to unleaded petrol.
"The switch from leaded to unleaded petrol was a major step in the right direction, but I believe it's only half the job done. The UAE should now press for installation of catalytic converters in all cars, as the next step towards curtailing emission-related pollution. At the same time, there is a need to reconsider existing systems and procedures that are aimed at minimising air pollution, and one of these could be the acceptable sulphur levels in locally consumed diesel," he pointed out.
Some of the section's recent achievements include beginning the phasing out programme for lead-based paints, and Salman expects the drive will have a long term impact on the quality of living environment in Dubai.
The section became the first in the region to implement the British Standard (now applied across the European Union countries) for safety of toys a few years ago. This standard includes specifications from labelling and operation/safety instructions, which are bilingual (English and Arabic) for Dubai, to the quality of material, including types of chemicals used in their manufacture.
Salman pointed out that since the operation of the section mainly revolves around surveillance and inspection, its scope of activity, while having remained much the same, has increased in volume with the physical expansion of the city into new communities.
"Our equipment is upgraded periodically and so are our skills, but our aim always remains the same — preservation of environment and public safety," he added.
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