AIR POLLUTION IN UAE

 A clean air supply is paramount for our own health and that of the environment.  However, since the industrial revolution, the quality of the air we breathe has deteriorated considerably – mainly as a result of human activities. From rising industrial production to the dramatic rise in traffic on our roads, all contribute to air pollution in our towns and cities which, in turn, can lead to serious health problems.

 Albeit some areas have high levels of benzene and volatile organic compounds, as well as particulate matter, also known as PM 10,  air quality in Dubai is far from ranking the city among the most polluted.

The Dubai Municipality believes that the city suffers the most from PM10 due to its geographic location and high levels of dust in the air from the surrounding desert landscape.

UAE?s air quality is exposed to many natural and man-made pressures. This is a result of development factors such as the increase in the number of industrial facilities, the rise in energy and water consumption, and growth in the number of vehicles chiefly due to the growing population and demand.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have witnessed a substantial transformation in the past three decades, with large-scale urbanisation and industrialisation. This has increased the pressure on air quality, adding to the naturally high levels of dust in the region. Further, owing to the dominance of the oil and gas sector, the GCC countries are also large contributors to the global emissions of carbon dioxide in terms of per capita emissions. The main pressure on urban air quality comes from power plants, different industries and transport sector.

In 2010, all GCC countries had more vehicles per 1,000 people — higher than the world average of 135 vehicles per 1,000 people. The GCC countries contribute about 2.5 per cent of world carbon dioxide emissions yet, they have just 0.5 per cent of the world?s population. Per capita emissions of all GCC countries are higher than the average for high-income countries!

Efforts being taken by UAE to combat air pollution

Air quality is one of the leading priorities under the UAE?s National Agenda as it is directly associated with human health, the environment and its impact on the economy. The country attaches great importance to improving air quality by achieving 90 per cent of the WHO Air Quality guidelines as a target by 2021.

As per the UAE Vision 2021 initiative declared by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, there is an ambitious target of a 24 per cent share of clean energy contribution.

 In order to curb air pollutants, the UAE?s Ministry of Environment and Water has established the Emirates network of air quality with various partners from local and private agencies.

Such a network will help develop policies and strategies to reduce air pollutants in different sectors. Such an initiative aims to create a network to improve air quality and reduce emissions from various sources that include factories, power plants as well as automobiles. In short, it is a very effective initiative to monitor and measure air pollutants throughout the country.

There is no doubt that improving air quality in GCC will lead to a more salubrious environment and population, increased productivity and reduced health costs. These benefits will result in a greener and more sustainable economy as viewed by Dr Mohamed Abdel Raouf - Environmentalist

 The Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) and Dubai Municipality have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate the exchange of air quality data and help both organisations achieve common goals in the field of air quality monitoring. It also help to provide in-depth information on air pollution.

The AQI provides information on each pollutant concentrations for ground-level ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter. The index is ?normalized? across pollutants so that an index value of 100 represents the level of health protection associated with the health-based standard for each pollutant and an Index value of 150 represents the significant harm level.

Credit  : https://portal.dm.gov.ae/
AirQuality/Airqualityindex.htm

The ministry has signed a contract with Masdar Institute of Science and Technology to study the relationship between fine particles with diameters less than 10m and less than 2.5 microns in addition to air quality monitoring via satellite.

Here in the UAE, the Ministry of Environment and Water is keeping a watch on things. They?ve developed systems to evaluate the environmental impact of certain projects. The cabinet has taken decisions for regulating crusher and quarrying operations and cement and asbestos production — so called ?activities of special nature which affect air quality?.

Air monitor stations    

There are currently 46 air quality monitoring stations in the UAE . The UAE has directed special attention towards the development of legislative frameworks necessary to reduce pollutants and emissions in order to improve air quality.

The exhaust from cars and other vehicles are the next biggest contributor to air emissions in the UAE, followed by manufacturing industries. Measures are being undertaken by the authorities concerned to reduce emissions and improve the air quality. Air Quality Index and Index of Particulate Matter are the two main yardsticks of clean air.

The ministry has also recently signed an agreement with seven governmental agencies for the launch of the UAE Air Quality Network. The availability of the network allows for more concise monitoring and the agreement aims to improve air quality by reducing emissions from fixed sources, as well as moving sources such as from transportation.

 Natural gas vs. diesel

Technical regulations, standards and guides for auto conversion to natural gas have been planned and developed. The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) is set to convert around 2,900 public transport buses and taxis in Abu Dhabi and opening 16 refuelling stations. Additionally, Emirates Transport has converted over 1,600 taxis of various types and sizes to operate on natural gas, and work is currently underway to introduce hybrid vehicles (cars running on both gasoline and electricity) as well as plug-in Electric Vehicles to the UAE market to cut down emissions.

?The country attaches great importance on improving air quality by achieving 90 per cent of the WHO Air Quality guidelines as a target by 2021,? khaleejtimes.com

In its 2014 report, the Environmental Performance Index, a globally acknowledged measure of countries? environment and public policy, the UAE is ranked 25th out of 178 countries, showing a strong improvement from 2012 when it was 77^th.

There?s growing recognition that along with a clean environment, economic growth and social wellbeing are integral to sustainability. All three pillars make for sustainability – if even one is missing, the other two will lose support and collapse.

At Masdar City, UAE strive to strengthen these three pillars of economic growth, ecological integrity and social wellbeing.

Thank you for reading:)

 CreditsThe National, Dubai and Air pollution,

https://portal.dm.gov.ae, envirocitiesmag.com