Urgent pollution control steps urged

Environmentalists have put forward a strong case for pollution control in the Kingdom and increased cooperation between the General Presidency of Meteorology and Environmental Protection and other authorities to raise awareness among the community on the importance of the environment and meteorology.
Meteorology and Environmental Protection head Abdulazziz Al-Jasir is expected to lead the presidency in following up on international developments in technology, training and scientific research, in addition to coming up with a complete system to monitor environmental pollution. Besides, stricter controls should be placed on factories that produce different pollutants while simultaneously reviewing fines that should be in line with the extent of damage to the environment.
The experts demanded the establishment of a project and a national awareness campaign on the importance of environment, since it is only through participation of individuals that environmental safety can be ensured. They also pointed out that the awareness campaign should be informative but carried out in a manner where people will enjoy it, rather than using harsh methods which will not help the cause.
Nizar Khudari, environmental pollution consultant and Assistant Professor of Nano Technology at King Abdulazziz City for Science and Technology, demanded that a centralized pollution monitoring system be put in place, which can provide people with pollution indicators or any change in the atmosphere and educate citizens about pollution levels in their cities, saying that this will have a positive impact on society’s level of awareness of environmental hygiene.
Urging authorities to impose stricter control over factories that throw up pollutants in the atmosphere and disgorge effluents daily, he said fines should be based on the extent of damage such polluting industries were causing, because some violating companies would rather pay a fine of SR10,000 than install a filter that costs SR100,000.
Professor Roqayah Qashqari, chairman of the Saudi Society for Environmental Sciences, said human activity and the population increase had led to an increase in pollution levels and resulting violations. The absence of an infrastructure has created many problems and such measure should have been planned 30 years ago.
Environmental planning is the real challenge, and it has become necessary to relate environment to development in all countries to prevent environmental complications. Education should start with individuals and end up with projects that contribute to maintaining safety of environment.
Qashqari stressed the importance of educational programs to improve the intellectual quality of individuals and induce them to contribute to environment’s derivatives and wealth.
Water consultant Hmoud Al-Thbaiti said awareness on environmental sciences and meteorology are still lacking in society and that the General Presidency of Meteorology and Environment Protection has two important elements. In past decades, life was simple and limited, and dealing with waste was very easy because people disposed of garbage in remote areas that helped it to decompose. The situation now, however, is different because of urbanization and growing population, not to mention the growing volumes of waste materials. These factors have led to the creation of environmental sciences, which became an academic specialty with several branches. Environment became the actual habitat of human beings, and any negative impact on this environment will reflect on human health — both on social and psychological levels, he said.
Al-Thbaiti said people fall sick when they drink polluted water, which calls for treatment, and warned people in a scientific and specific way against eating uncovered or polluted food would help them guard against food poisoning. “I wish we can launch a national project for environmental awareness that contributes to maintaining environment in all its aspects, and this project should include educational seminars and conferences for local communities,” he said.
Al-Thubaiti said meteorology is a subject concerned with the climate and the weather in a scientific way. “The world has witnessed vast advancements in this sector, especially in the field of monitoring mechanisms and radars. All these advancements should help provide accurate information that is based on proof and not expectations between members of society and social networks.”
Meteorologist Hasan Mirah said the meteorological technician in the General Presidency needs to be up-to-date with developments in international meteorology centers. “This can’t be achieved unless we seek the assistance of international expertise and raise the level of performance of meteorology in all its aspects — human, technical and administrative. We also need to benefit from the experiences that exist in the presidency,” he said.
Mirah said meteorological apparatuses are new but they still need to be developed to be in line with advancements across the globe. He also called for training of specialists and meteorologists working in headquarters and regional centers.
Local media reported that work on the new meteorology headquarters on Prince Majid Street will be ready in a few months. The building is a major step in the working environment; it is built over 50,000 sqm and will be a landmark in Jeddah. The building is equipped to deal with future projects of the presidency.