RIYADH, 30 November 2007 — In an effort to address environmental problems faced by Jeddah, the government has teamed up with the local chapter of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to prepare a comprehensive “Jeddah Environmental Master Plan,” as the program is called, which would aim to help solve the problems that need urgent solutions. Jeddah is the second largest city of Saudi Arabia after the capital city of Riyadh.
Dr. El-Mostafa Benlamlih, UNDP resident representative, spoke in Riyadh yesterday at UNDP Saudi headquarters on the occasion of the launching of a “UN Week” under the theme of the environment. A photography exhibition, in which three best photos depicting different aspects of environment were chosen for prizes, has also been organized on the sidelines of the UN Week.
Spelling out the salient features of the Jeddah master plan, Benlamlih said: “The city, with a population growth rate of over 2.6 percent annually, is confronting great environmental challenges. Jeddah’s dependence on water from desalination plants that use oil that emit massive amounts of air pollutants; an oil refinery in the city center and a massive influx of people, especially during Haj contribute largely to the environmental problems of that city.”
He continued, “Moreover, the lack of sewage-treatment facilities has caused sewage to be dumped directly into a valley called Musk Lake, 40 km away from Jeddah.”
According to Benlamlih, the objective of this cooperation with Jeddah governorate and municipality is to carry on a mission that will assess the current situation and prepare a detailed report on the current environmental situation.
In addition, the master plan will also facilitate the development of a project that would encompass main activities and outcomes for a joint development program between Jeddah municipality and the UNDP.
Referring to the Saudi commitments on the global level, he said: “The announcement made by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to contribute $300 million for promoting research in the field of oil and environment is a very good beginning. But the Kingdom, and all other countries for that matter, must make more commitments in various forms to save the climate and the world.”
Benlamlih said that the participants in the upcoming UN Framework Convention on Climate Change conference would be held in the Indonesian city of Bali from Dec. 3-14.
On local front, he said the UNDP has been working on several projects very closely with Saudi government agencies, including the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation Development.
