New norms issued to protect Abu Dhabi mangroves

New norms issued to protect Abu Dhabi mangroves

As the first of five national parks identified in Plan Abu Dhabi 2030, the Eastern Mangrove Lagoon National Park will have specific planning guidelines to ensure its protection and longevity. The UPC is currently formulating similar specific planning guidelines for the remaining designated reserves.

"The mangroves surrounding the city are the most important ecological source in the country and contain more biodiversities than any other area in Abu Dhabi. The environmental framework policies ensure the long-term protection of the mangrove area for future generations of citizens and visitors to Abu Dhabi," said Falah Al Ahbabi, General Manager of the UPC.

The planning guidelines require that native vegetation and supporting hydrology be retained within the National Park.

http://archive.gulfnews.com/nation/Environment/10234475.html

Record rain has put pressure on dams

Dr Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahd, Minister of Environment and Water, inspected some dams to assess their maintenance needs before the winter on Monday, which is usually accompanied by heavy rains.

The ministry supervises 84 dams all over the UAE, which are very important to protect surrounding areas from floods and preserve water resources as well as discharge excess water in a controlled way.

Al Dhaid particularly suffers from heavy exhaustion of groundwater resulting from heavy pumping of groundwater, which affects water levels and agricultural activities.

Bin Fahd visited Wadi Ashwani dam built in 2001 in the central region, where maintenance work is currently being carried out to clean the dam's lake and remove silt and stones to increase its capacity.

Safani and Al Siji dams were visited, which are supply dams in the central region, Shoka dam, which is a storage dam that was built to protect the surrounding area from floods and provide water.

Inspections

There are two storage dams in the region, while the rest are supply dams, which have groundwater supplies depending on their geological and surface nature.

Bin Fahd also inspected measuring water wells used by the ministry to monitor groundwater levels in different areas. These levels are measured monthly and the readings are entered into the ministry's database.

In 2006 up to 21 million cubic metres of rainwater collected in two weeks in December putting pressure on 53 dams across the country.

The rainfall which took the country by surprise at that time was the highest recorded for that time of year in the UAE in the last 10 years, according to the Ministry of Environment and Water.

The reservoirs of more than 50 dams, mainly in Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah, were filled to the brim over the last two weeks, with some being emptied at least once before they were filled up again with rainwater from wadis.

Reservoirs in Ras Al Khaimah recorded maximum water depths of 11.5 metres in some areas, containing around 500,000 cubic metres. In Fujairah reservoirs 6 metres deep collected 30,000 cubic metres of water.

http://archive.gulfnews.com/nation/Environment/10234477.html
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ENVIRONMENT NEWS FROM THE

UN DAILY NEWS

4 July 2008

UNEP has been working with the Beijing Olympic Committee for the last three years with the aim of making the games environmentally-friendly.

The Chinese Government has spent $17 billion on a large-scale green drive ahead of the games, including a series of long-term environmental improvements for the city.
As part of this, the city has introduced tougher standards for vehicle emissions and phased out ozone-depleting substances. The authorities have also expanded Beijing’s public transport network with three new subway lines and have introduced 3,800 compressed natural gas buses – one of the largest fleets in any city in the world.
UNEP says that the Olympic venues themselves also have many green features: 20 per cent of their energy comes from clean wind sources; solar power features prominently in the Olympic Village; and the Bird’s Nest stadium has an advanced rainwater recycling system.

Mr. Steiner will visit several of the green facilities built for the Olympics including Beijing’s newly-inaugurated subway lines and the Solar Wall – 2,000 square metres of solar panels.

Mr. Ibeanu also met with Abou Moussa, the Principal Deputy Special Representative, to discuss measures undertaken by the UN country team to manage the toxic waste situation, according to a press release issued in Abidjan today.