Dubai: Dubai Municipality has said it has identified the hot spots of air pollution and taken action against violators as part of its efforts to maintain air quality that conforms to global standards.
The civic body’s statement follows a WHO report this week that found the UAE enjoying one of the lowest pollution levels globally.
Hussain Nasser Lootah, director general of Dubai Municipality, said in a media statement that the air quality in Dubai conforms to the approved international level with data from 13 monitoring stations showing that it reached 88 per cent by the end of 2015, whereas the target level is only 85 per cent.
He said 13 smart stations monitor the air quality in different locations of the emirate covering industrial, commercial and residential areas as well as on major roads. They monitor emissions of air pollutants resulting from various sectors such as energy production, transport and industries.
He noted there is close cooperation between the municipality and these sectors to ensure commitment to reduce emissions polluting the air to the extent that it is guaranteed that targets of the country and the emirate in the field of air quality are achieved. This cooperation is realised by preparing an air quality strategy in the emirate of Dubai for 2016-2021, added Lootah.
Alya Abdul Rahim Al Harmoudi, director of Environment Department, said the municipality’s Air Quality Strategy Project aims at achieving 90 per cent of the air quality index as the target within the national agenda and Dubai plan for 2021.
“Since the work started on the strategy, in coordination with the General Secretariat of the Executive Council and in cooperation with various strategic partners, a workshop was held to introduce the strategy project and the direction of the municipality in this area to achieve the air quality target. It is considered to be a first-of-its-kind project in the Middle East,” said Al Harmoudi.
She said the first phase of the strategy has been completed, which is extensive analysis of the existing situation as per the contribution of each sector in air pollution.
Hot spots and fines
“Hot spot areas with the greatest vulnerability of contaminants have been identified. Currently, work is under way on the preparation of the second phase of the strategy project, which is to develop performance indicators.”
Apart from the excellent support from the government and the use of the latest technology, Al Harmoudi said efforts in monitoring and control by taking necessary legal procedures and the imposition of fines on violators in accordance with the rules and regulations in force have contributed to the environmental gains achieved by the emirate.
Speaking to Gulf News, the official said the municipality’s target is not to issue fines, but increase the level of awareness and strike a balance between development and environmental sustainability. “If there was no awareness and cooperation from government and private sectors, we would not have reached this high level of air quality. Our aim is to minimise the impact of air pollution caused by certain sectors, the operations of which release certain level of emission. For that, we are working hand in hand with them.”
New website
She said the 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.
“Through this website, people will be informed on the air quality levels with transparency, while providing a unique opportunity for the users to get closely acquainted with the Dubai air quality monitoring programme and all of the monitoring and surveillance techniques used by Dubai Municipality, in addition to informing them of the most important air pollutants that adversely affect the public health, and the different sectors of environmental pollution and the potential sources,” she said.
