Doha, Qatar: Doha has been ranked No. 12 among the top 20 cities by World Health Organisation (WHO), based on its ‘annual mean concentration of fine particle matter’.
The need to consider sustainability, especially given the vast number of infrastructure projects under way in Qatar, was discussed by two industry experts with a group of engineers and environmental planners at a seminar organised by Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (Qatar Group) recently.
Dr Aspa D Chatziefthimiou, from Richer Environments/Environmental Consulting, talked about the environmental laws that are in effect under the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, where developments must be adhered to.
She also described the Environmental Impact Assessment processes, focusing on services provided by the consultancy such as ecological surveys and baseline studies that are integral parts of the EIA.
Dr Aspa pointed out that despite the harsh conditions of the desert environment, life is buzzing all around and she showcased habitats and rich biodiversity that exist in Qatar.
Andy Ford, from Gulf Contracting , discussed how the fast-paced construction-growing Qatar is experiencing air quality challenges.
Air pollution leads to environmental and health concerns, which Gulf Contracting are addressing by minimising through the use of the best practice in the construction industry such as water spraying, vertical barriers or wind screens, extraction or ventilation, wet cutting and drilling techniques and the development of water reduction plans on construction sites and in workers’ accommodations.
An additional initiative is the BIONEST waste water treatment solutions, where almost 300 million litres of recycled water was generated from the BIONEST units in 2015, of which over 26,000 trips of sewage and potable water tankers were diverted from the road network.
CIHT (Qatar Group) organises technical events to maintain and enrich the working knowledge of highways and transportation professionals in Qatar.
CIHT Qatar is sponsored by AECOM, Atkins, Dar Al Handasah, DCE, Fugro, Gannett Fleming, Arcadis, TraffiConsult, White Young Qatar and WSP|Parsons Brinckerhoff. © The Peninsula 2016
© The Peninsula
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