Dubai: A senior government official has confirmed the latest reports on air quality issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO), that the UAE meets international standards.
For the first time, the WHO has broken down that figure to a country-by-country level. It revealed on Tuesday that of the worst three nations, more than 1 million people died from dirty air in China in 2012, at least 600,000 in India and more than 140,000 in Russia.
Eng. Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director General of Dubai Municipality, said that the level of air quality in Dubai reached 88 per cent by the end of 2015, which is higher than the target level of 85 per cent.
“The data that we have retrieved is an accurate measure of the country’s efficiency,” said Lootah, pointing out that 13 smart stations have been launched over several years to monitor the air quality in different locations of the emirate, including industrial, commercial and residential areas.
Lootah also pointed out there exists strong cooperation between Dubai Municipality and the different sectors to ensure that carbon emissions are reduced.
“This cooperation is realised by preparing an air quality strategy in the emirate of Dubai for 2016-2021,” he added.
Commenting on the Air Quality Strategy Project in Dubai, Alya Abdul Rahim Al Harmoudi, Director of Environment Department at Dubai Municipality, said: “The idea of the project came from the municipality's keenness on achieving 90 per cent of the air quality index contained in the target within the national agenda for 2021, and Dubai’s plan for 2021.”
She added that workshops were introduced as part of the municipality’s efforts to implement the Air Quality Strategy Project, “which is considered to be a first of its kind project in the Middle East."
Al Harmoudi also said that Dubai Municipality is currently working on the launch of a website specialised in the field of air quality in the emirate, which aims to increase environmental awareness among the citizens, residents and visitors on the causes of air pollution.
