A PLAN to combat air pollution in Bahrain is expected to be presented to parliament in April, according to a top official.
The roadmap for better air quality, being drawn up by the Supreme Council for Environment (SCE), will include short, medium and long-term solutions.
The strategy will cover four key sectors: energy, industry, transportation and waste.
Approval
“The final draft will be completed by the end of April after which we hope to get the approval and start implementing the action plan,” said SCE environment policies and planning directorate acting director Suzan Al Ajjawi.
She was speaking to the GDN on the sidelines of a two-day Bahrain-UK Bilateral Air Quality Forum which started at Bahrain University’s campus in Sakhir yesterday.
According to data presented at the forum, the main air quality challenges Bahrain faces are high levels of dust and hydrogen sulphide (H2S) emissions.
Exposure to even low concentrations of H2S could cause irritation to the eyes, nose or throat and in some cases it may lead to breathing difficulties among asthmatics, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, which is a federal public health agency within the US Department of Health and Human Services.
The forum aims to develop an understanding of why air quality is important to Bahrain, and promote co-operation between British and Bahrain institutions for future collaborations in policies, research and development.
Ms Al Ajjawi said in 2017 the Cabinet had tasked the SCE with putting together a national air quality strategy.
A national team of experts from the government and stakeholders was set up to work in co-operation with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
“We are almost done and we have the results and projected roadmap to implement the strategy,” she said.
“The aim is to enhance the air quality in Bahrain and have a better understanding of the issues.
“The strategy will cover four sectors – the energy sector, which includes power stations, refineries and so on; the industry sector for which we have drawn up medium, short and long-term action; transportation and waste sectors.”
Insight
Ms Al Ajjawi said research presented at the forum can help provide a more scientific insight into what is happening, especially the studies being conducted at the university.
The SCE and the British Embassy in Bahrain are taking part in the forum which is being held, as part of an Environment Week, in co-operation with Bahrain University, the UK Science and Innovation Network and the British Council.
The GDN reported in November last year that the SCE had completed a study on the specifications of new air quality monitoring stations.
Tenders for the purchase of two air monitoring stations were issued last year and three more stations will be purchased in the next two years.
UNEP West Asia Office director and regional representative Sami Dimassi told the GDN in June last year that the Air Quality Strategy, once approved, would be implemented in phases.
He also stressed the importance of outreach and awareness programmes, which he said could be as important as legislation when it came to saving the environment.
ghazi@gdn.com.bh
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