Shorouk Awad (Dubai)
The UAE has witnessed a remarkable increase in the total stations operating to monitor air quality in all regions of the country during the past five years, reaching 56 stations in 2021, compared to 39 stations in 2017, where the growth rate reached (45%) during the past year. It is a positive indicator of the increase in areas where ambient air quality is monitored, which supports the quality of data in terms of the most comprehensive coverage of the areas, and taking the necessary measures to protect the population from air pollution, according to the latest data of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Center.
The data showed that the Emirate of Abu Dhabi ranked first out of the total air quality monitoring stations in 2021, with 22 stations, with a contribution rate of 39% of the total, followed by Dubai in 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 ranked fourth with 4 stations in each emirate at a rate of 7.1%, and the Emirate of Sharjah ranked 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, downtown, industrial, roadside, reference area, remote area, and moving area), where air quality monitoring stations in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi were distributed over several sites, including 8 stations in residential areas and 3 stations. In the city center, 3 stations in industrial areas, 4 stations on the roadside, 3 stations in reference areas, 9 stations in remote areas, and 1 station in a moving area, while the stations of the Emirate of Dubai were distributed over several locations, including 9 stations in residential areas and one station in an industrial area. And two stations on the side of the road and two stations in remote areas. The stations of the Emirate of Sharjah were distributed over several areas, including one station in a residential area, one station in an industrial area, and one station in a moving area. Ajman stations were distributed over several locations, including 6 stations in residential areas and a station One in an industrial area, while two air quality monitoring stations in Umm Al Quwain were distributed over two residential areas, while Ras Al Khaimah stations were distributed over several areas, including 3 stations in residential areas and one station on the roadside, and the 4 stations were also distributed in the Emirate of Fujairah. on residential areas e.
As the data of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Center indicated, residential areas issue the largest number in terms of the number of stations, with 33 stations, and they constituted about 59% of the stations operating in the country. human health as a first priority.
key priorities
Fatima Al Hammadi, Head of the Air Quality Department, Green Development and Environmental Affairs at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, confirmed that the UAE recognized at an early stage the role of air quality in promoting a healthy and sustainable life in general for its residents, and therefore placed air quality among its main priorities and gave it a key performance indicator within the national agenda. Vision 2021 and the goals of the UAE Centennial, which focus heavily on quality of life and a sustainable economy, pointing to the country’s aspiration, through a specific vision for the air quality file, to “enhance the contribution of air quality to a safe and healthy environment to improve the quality of life” on its soil.
Al Hammadi stated that due to the importance of the air quality file, it has been included as a priority in the public environment policy, as “enhancing air quality” represents one of the eight priorities in the policy, and the policy adopts the air quality file with its four areas represented in the outdoor air associated with what is known as air pollutants such as dioxide. Nitrogen, sulfur dioxide, ground ozone, carbon monoxide and particulate matter, as well as stationary and mobile source pollutants, indoor air from a very wide range of sources, including moisture, detergents, mold, construction chemicals, pesticides, tobacco, incense smoke, and ambient odors that It is a form of air pollution and ambient noise.
Al Hammadi indicated that, over the past 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 would improve air quality management, but may not necessarily lead to achieving the greatest possible results. For these efforts, the Ministry launched the “National Agenda for Air Quality in the UAE 2031” this month, due to its greater role in improving air quality and achieving benefits for related sectors. The National Innovation Strategy, the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, the National Smart Mobility Strategy, and the UAE Strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.