• Home
• /
• UAE

UAE's emergency plan in nuclear accident

abu dhabi - What happens in the event of a nuclear emergency? How prepared are we in the UAE? Pertaining to the issue, the UAE's Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) presented the country's plans for communicating with the public during a nuclear emergency, to the international community.
 
Fahad Al Bloushi, FANR's Manager of Emergency Preparedness and Response, gave the presentation in Vienna, Austria, at the eighth meeting of the representatives of competent authorities identified under the convention on early notification of a nuclear accident and the convention on assistance in the case of a nuclear accident or radiological emergency.
 
The presentation - "UAE arrangements for communication with the public in an Emergency" - describes the regulatory framework that serves as basis for national communication plans and how they adhere to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) standards. It also addresses the findings of a 2015 IAEA Emergency Preparedness Review mission that found that the UAE was making effective progress towards preparing for an emergency.
 
The conventions on early notification and assistance were agreed following the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear fallout in the Soviet Union, and they create tools for nations having nuclear emergencies to alert their neighbours and the international community, and seek the required assistance. The UAE acceded to both conventions in 1987.
 
FANR works for UAE emergency preparedness and response programmes in cooperation with relevant national agencies, such as the Ministry of Interior and the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority. "Transparent communication with the public is essential at all time, and especially during a nuclear incident or emergency," said Salah Al Hashimi, Director of FANR's Government Communications Department.
 
haseeb@khaleejtimes.com