(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Sanaullah Ataullah |The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoECC) has made remarkable achievements to protect air quality in the country.
The most important achievements are the establishment of the national Network for monitoring air quality and the implementation of a national plan to monitor air quality around areas of environmental pressure and areas of important activities such as the FIFA World Cup 2022 and other such mega events.
In an interview with The Peninsula, Director of Monitoring and Environmental Inspection Department Hassan Al Qasimi at MoECC, said that the ministry has an early warning system and has established a unit for monitoring and analysing air quality data.
Hassan Al Qasimi, Director of Monitoring and Environmental Inspection Department
He said that to measure and know air quality, there are stations dedicated to monitoring air quality that operate according to international standards and are approved by specialised international bodies.
“In the State of Qatar, there are currently approximately 40 monitoring stations in different regions of the country, and their results are displayed through a special monitoring platform. Air quality [data] is published on the website of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, which is the only authorised body,” he added.
He said that Qatar has the biggest, in terms of the country's geographic size, and the best air quality monitoring system in place in the region.
He said that the platform operates in accordance with the global system approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA) and according to national standards through a special air quality index, which divides the level of air quality into five categories (clean, natural, limited pollution, pollution and severe pollution).“These categories are presented in an easy-to-understand colour format that reflects the true reality of air quality in the country. This includes all basic pollutants (carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ground-level ozone, and fine particles).”
He said that all air quality monitoring stations in the country have been linked electronically with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, and Ministerial Resolution No. (310) of 2020 has contributed to achieving the required connectivity and unifying the work of the stations following international standards.“Mobile station monitoring programmes have been implemented for monitoring various places not covered by fixed stations,” said Al Qasimi.
He said that the ministry is constantly working on modernisation and development of ambient air monitoring stations.“Launching the air quality platform to the public is also one of the major achievements of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change,” he said.
Al Qasimi noted that in general, environmental monitoring and air quality monitoring are carried out through follow-up of the various departments of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and in accordance with environmental legislation to ensure air quality following national and international standards.
“The Air Quality Department monitors ambient air quality through a national network distributed in the country, and when there are any sources of pollution, this is followed up by the relevant authorities responsible for that source, and appropriate action is taken as per applicable environmental legislation,” he added.
According to him, compliance with environmental legislation guarantees that the air quality is maintained and meets the national standards, adding that the State of Qatar has made great efforts to ensure and maintain the air quality.
“There is a great responsibility on an individual level to preserve the environment in general and air quality in particular,” said Al Qasimi.
He added that the elements of the environment are interconnected with each other, preserving the vegetation cover and planting trees is of great importance in improving air quality, as well as reducing the use of cars and the use of public transportation and the metro (rail).
“Any environmental activity and awareness to preserve the environment and environmental sustainability even for example conservation of electricity uses will have a direct or indirect impact on improving air quality and reducing pollutants in the air,” said Al Qasimi.
“Our ancestors lived in our beloved country and preserved its components and elements, including air, water, and soil, and protected it from pollution, until it reached us as clean and rich natural resources, and we must preserve it as such for our future generations.”
He urged people in Qatar - citizens and expatriates to preserve the environment with all its elements, including air, water, and soil, as they are interconnected, and it is important to make them a societal cultural and life behaviour.
“Air quality, in general, is the degree of purity of the air surrounding us so that it is natural and clean enough to sustain life on planet Earth,” said Al Qasimi.
He said that it includes every change in the characteristics and specifications of the natural air of a place or region that results in harm or danger to the health of the environment and all living organisms, including humans, animals, and plants.
“To ensure that air quality is protected from any pollution through specific standards stipulated in environmental legislation in the State of Qatar and to ensure that it does not exceed national standards through continuous monitoring of ambient air pollutants and measuring these pollutants in designated stations,” said Al Qasimi.
He said that these stations have been distributed throughout the country operating continuously throughout the week to ensure the maintenance of air quality within national standards and following the best international standards.
“In general, environmental monitoring and air quality are monitored through follow-up by the various departments of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and in accordance with environmental legislation to ensure air quality in accordance with national standards,” said Al Qasimi.
He said that the Air Quality Department monitors ambient air quality through a national network distributed in the country. When there are any sources of pollution, this is followed up by the relevant authorities responsible for that source, and appropriate action is taken as per applicable environmental legislation.
Therefore, he said:“Compliance with environmental legislation is the guarantee that air quality is maintained and does not exceed national standards. Qatar has made great efforts to ensure and maintain air quality,” said Al Qasimi.
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