UAE Ministry of Environment collaborates with partners to inaugurate UAE Air Quality Network

DUBAI, 26th May, 2015 (WAM) -- Following the directives of Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Ministry of Environment and Water has signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with the National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology, NCMS, the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi, EAD, Dubai Municipality, Fujairah Municipality, the Municipality and Planning Department in Ajman and Sharjah Municipality, for the launch of the UAE Air Quality Network. The signing ceremony was held on the side-lines of the 6th Green Economy Annual Conference, under the theme ‘National Roundtable on Financing and Investing in Green Economy Projects.’ His Highness Sheikh Mohammed approved the establishment of the UAE Air Quality Network while attending the brainstorming sessions for the Government Creative Laboratory, an initiative organised by the Ministry in October 2014. Commenting on the MoU, Dr. Rashid Ahmed bin Fahad, Minister of Environment and Water, said that the launch of the UAE Air Quality Network is the realisation of the policies to achieve the vision of sustainable development set by the wise leadership. It is also reinforces the Ministry’s eagerness to motivate all the parties to undertake more endeavours to enhance the efforts of promoting environmental sustainability in the country. He pointed out that the UAE Air Quality Network is the result of the efforts of various national entities who always seek to transform innovative ideas into pilot projects. These pilot projects will contribute towards the UAE’s progress and leadership to place it among the world’s best countries by 2021, highlighting the exceptional efforts of the local and federal level teams which resulted in the completion of the project within 6 months. Dr. Bin Fahad said that the idea of establishing the UAE Air Quality Network was one of the Government Creative Laboratory initiatives launched by the Ministry with an aim to come up with creative ideas and turn them into a practical reality. The network will contribute to the development of a comprehensive and integrated national strategy to preserve the environment and improve the air quality as one of the country’s priorities. He noted that the signing of the MoU demonstrates the vital and effective role played by federal and other competent authorities in the implementation of the project to raise the level of air quality by up to 90 percent by 2021 to achieve the targets for the National Agenda. Under the terms of the MoU, regular meetings will be held to discuss technical and operational issues of the network. It will also collaborate with all parties to use a standardised mechanism to measure pollutants and calculation of daily air quality index, in addition to calculations of index concentrations of particulate matter and the development and modernisation of private data of air pollutants. They will organise seminars, joint workshops and training programmes to promote the exchange of expertise to build the capacity of workers in the field of monitoring air pollutants. This will ensure the implementation of best practices and methodologies for the establishment of the UAE Air Quality Network initiative in coordination with their partners. The UAE Air Quality Network aims to improve the air quality in order to reduce the emissions from various fixed sources, including factories, power plants, and mobile sources. – Emirates News Agency, WAM – http://www.wam.ae/en/news/general/1395281020219.html