Shorouk Awad (Dubai)
Over the past five years, the UAE has seen a notable increase in total stations operating to monitor air quality across all regions of the country, reaching 56 stations in 2021, up from 39 stations in 2017, where the growth rate reached 45%. in the last year, it is a positive indicator of the increase in ambient air quality monitoring areas, which supports data quality in terms of more complete coverage of the areas and takes the necessary measures to protect the population from air pollution , according to the latest data from the Federal Center for Competitiveness and Statistics.
The data showed that the Emirate of Abu Dhabi ranked first among the total air quality monitoring stations in 2021, with 22 stations, with a contribution rate of 39% of the total, followed by Dubai at the second place with 14 stations and 25%, and Ajman in third place with 7 stations with a rate of 12.5%, and the Emirates of Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah in fourth place with 4 stations in each emirate at a rate of 7 , 1% and the Emirate of Sharjah in fifth with 3 stations and a rate of 5.4%, and finally the emirate of Umm Al Quwain ranked sixth with two stations and a rate of 3.6%.
The data also identified 7 locations for the stations, which are (residential, central, industrial, roadside, reference area, remote area and mobile area), where air quality monitoring stations in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi have been spread over several sites, including 8 stations in residential areas and 3 stations in the city center, 3 stations in industrial areas, 4 roadside stations, 3 stations in reference areas, 9 stations in remote areas, 1 station in mobile area, while the stations of the Emirate of Dubai was spread over multiple locations, including 9 stations in residential areas and one station in an industrial area, two road-side stations and two stations in remote areas. of the Emirate of Sharjah were spread over several areas, including a station in a residential area, a station in an industrial area and a station in a mobile area. Ajman stations were spread over several locations, including 6 st actions in residential areas and a Uno station in an industrial area, while two air quality monitoring stations in Umm Al Quwain were spread over two residential areas, while Ras Al Khaimah stations were spread over multiple areas, including 3 stations in residential areas and a roadside station, and the 4 stations were also distributed in the Emirate of Fujairah in the residential areas and.
As indicated by data from the Federal Center for Competitiveness and Statistics, residential areas emit the largest number in terms of the number of stations, with 33 stations, and constituted about 59% of the stations operating in the country. .
key priority
Fatima Al Hammadi, Head of the Department for Air Quality, Green Development and Environmental Affairs at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, confirmed that the UAE recognized the role of air quality at an early stage. air in promoting a healthy and sustainable life in general for its residents, and thus placed air quality among its top priorities and assigned it a key performance indicator on the national agenda. Vision 2021 and the objectives of the Centenary of the United Arab Emirates, which focus strongly on the quality of life and on a sustainable economy, indicating the aspiration of the country, through a specific vision for the dossier on air quality, to “improve the contribution of air quality to a safe and healthy environment to improve the quality of life “on one’s soil.
Al Hammadi said that, given the importance of the air quality dossier, it has been included as a priority in public environmental policy, as “improving air quality” is one of the eight policy priorities and policy adopts file air quality with its four areas represented in the outdoor air associated with what are known as air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ground ozone, carbon monoxide and particulate matter as well as pollutants of fixed origin and mobile, indoor air from a very wide range of sources including moisture, detergents, molds, building chemicals, pesticides, tobacco, incense smoke and ambient odors which is a form of air pollution and ambient noise .
Al Hammadi indicated that, in recent years, local and federal government agencies have made great efforts to develop a solid understanding of the current state of air quality in the UAE and efforts have focused on implementing initiatives that they would improve air quality management, but may not necessarily lead to the greatest possible results. For these efforts, the Ministry launched the “National Agenda for Air Quality in the UAE 2031” this month, for its major role in improving air quality and achieving benefits for related sectors. National Strategy for Innovation, UAE Energy Strategy 2050, National Strategy for Smart Mobility and UAE Strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
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