Mobile unit to detect air pollution; erring firms to be fined
dubai — In line with the 9th Car Free Day, Dubai Municipality launched a mobile monitoring station that will roam the city to detect air pollution sources.
On the sidelines of the exhibition organised to mark the day, Hussain Lootah, director general of Dubai Municipality, said the new environment friendly station, operated by Artificial Intelligence systems and tools will help the civic body take immediate and preventive action against air pollutants.
“The station will move in different areas of Dubai and give an alert of air pollution, allowing us to monitor harmful gas emissions and take immediate action,” said Lootah. Factories that prove to have caused air pollution will be subject to hefty fines.
Khalid Sharif Al Awadhi, assistant director general of environment, health and safety sector at the municipality, said the station will help detect the area with most pollutants, determine the source of the pollution and guide the civic body to take immediate action.
“The fine will depend on the type of violation and the impact it had on the environment. Factories who cause big extent of pollution can face operations closure,” said Al Awadhi. However, he did not determine the value of fines imposed. He noted that detecting violations will help factories adjust their condition.
While one mobile station has so far been introduced, more are expected to be added in the future around the industrial and congested areas of Dubai that are subject to pollution.
He said the station will be like moving radar that will detect pollutants and allow the municipality to take preventive action.
“We want to make sure we take action as prevention and protection, not a result,” said Al Awadhi. The new station is expected to enhance the municipality’s air pollution monitoring system and network, which consists of about 13 fixed stations distributed in different strategic locations in the emirate.
“[The station] has been equipped with a set of advanced software to process and analyse the data captured simultaneously and displayed on the internal display screens graphically, by displaying 2D, 3D, and accurate digital maps before they are included in the Municipality’s main database,” said Lootah.
Meanwhile, Lootah also revealed the launch of the environmental sustainability guide for the industrial sector in Dubai to follow.
He added that these initiatives seek to preserve the environment and the sustainability of natural resources, especially with the increased investments in all fields, in particular industrial investments.
The station, he said, contains about 20 advanced monitoring techniques that are operated by the energy generated by the solar panels. These techniques monitor about 100 elements and a complex of air pollutants such as toxic pollutants like organic compounds, the concentration of heavy metals and odorous gases, as well as the monitoring of levels of radioactivity, noise and meteorological data.
sherouk@khaleejtimes.com