Dubai budgets Dh500m aiming to have best air quality by 2021
Several plans and initiatives costing more than Dh500 million will be implemented over the next five years in the emirate to achieve the strategy, the first of its kind in the region.
The Dubai Municipality has launched the Air Quality Strategy for the Emirate of Dubai for 2017-2021 with an aim to establish Dubai as one of the world's best air quality cities by 2021. Several plans and initiatives costing more than Dh500 million will be implemented over the next five years in the emirate to achieve the strategy, the first of its kind in the region.
Hussain Nasser Lootah, director-general of Dubai Municipality said that the preparation of the strategy took about a year, in coordination and cooperation with the General Secretariat of the Executive Council. "They include quality initiatives and exceptional projects to make the surrounding air in the emirate comply with global specifications and standards, which is a qualitative shift in the environmental and health fields, because these pollutants adversely affect public health," he said.
Lootah also said that its objectives are consistent with the strategic objectives of Dubai 2021 Plan, whose main focus is based on integrated perspectives and strategic priorities looking ahead to the future striving to make Dubai a smart, sustainable city and a better place to live and work.
Alia Al Harmoudi, director of environment department at the municipality, said that the preliminary stage included several technical reviews of the best recognised international practices, technical analyses of current and future situation in Dubai, by analysing the data in the municipality's system for monitoring air quality analysis over the past years and creating accurate digital simulation models for each type of air pollutants.
She added that the strategy included a number of initiatives and projects to be implemented by the Dubai Municipality during the next five years, including the development of the environmental monitoring system according to the best international standards, and expansion of this system in line with the increase in the urban area, in addition to a package of applied and scientific studies and research, and its output will boost Dubai's air quality sector.
"The launch of the Smart Air Quality stations, one of the initiatives the municipality is offering to support the air quality sector in Dubai, will provide visitors with the opportunity to experience the most important air quality issues in a unique and modern manner that leaves the greatest impact on the visitors' imagination and enhances their environmental awareness," said Al Harmoudi.
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