Cement companies are urged to reduce pollution

The UAE yesterday urged the world's cement and building material manufacturing companies to double their efforts in reducing environmental pollution caused by the production process.

The call was made by Hamad Abdul Rahman Al Madfa, UAE Minister of Health, at the opening of the fourth International Conference and Exhibition on Environment Protection in Cement and Building Materials Industries, which opened here yesterday.

Dr Salem Al Dhaheri, Federal Environmental Agency Director, who delivered the opening speech on behalf of Al Madfa, inaugurated the three-day event.

The minister asked the industries to lay down effective strategies to reduce all the negative impacts caused during the material production process. "The industries also need increased investment and dedicated separate budgets to ensure clean and pollution-free products."

Prince Sultan bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Kabir, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Arab Union for Cement and Building Materials, which is the main organiser of the conference, said there is no doubt the cement and building materials industries are blamed for their contribution to environmental pollution.

"Therefore, they need to keep a balance between their production and environmental protection," said the Saudi Prince.

The other speakers, representing the industrial sector and environmentalists, were from across the Arab world, Iran, India, the US and a number of European and African countries.