The Ministry of Environment and Water recently sent a delegation composed of representatives from Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah to the Republic of France to discuss and learn about the best practices in the field of waste management.
The trip comes as part of the Ministry’s initiative to work jointly with local authorities and involve them in the programs that are being implemented to develop the country’s environmental sector. This is especially crucial in the area of waste management, which has the potential to significantly contribute to achieving national indicators in the UAE Vision 2021 agenda and help strengthen relations between the UAE and the Republic of France.
His Excellency Abdul Rahim Al Hammadi, Assistant Undersecretary for Environmental Affairs, Ministry of Environment and Water, noted that the UAE places great importance in promoting the most sustainable waste management practices and proper disposal methods. He noted that the nation also underlines the value of cooperating with local and international partners to further develop an integrated waste management system that will achieve environmental sustainability in line with the country’s objective of treating 75 per cent of its wastes by 2021.
Al Hammadi added that the visit to France aimed to review recent studies and practices in waste management, treatment and conversion to energy, pointing out that the Ministry is in the process of building a plant that processes waste into energy in the Northern Emirates. The plant is expected to be completed in the next two years. This project aims to establish proper waste disposal methods through the implementation of unified standards, procedures and controls in every stage of the waste management cycle, which includes sorting, collecting, transporting, storage and recycling, and, finally, proper and safe disposal.
He explained that the first phase of the project in the Northern Emirates is nearly complete, and will be adopting modern waste incineration technology and conversion to energy as a sustainable waste treatment solution. He also pointed out that this project will facilitate the country’s initiative to find a sustainable solution to the problem of waste management. Moreover, the project will take into account the collection of remaining waste after it has been separated and sent to treatment plants in the Northern Emirates.
The visit to France included meetings, workshops and field tours to a number of enterprises involved in waste management and conversion to learn about the best and latest applications. The workshops identified crucial components of the project as well as the products, capacity, space and materials used, station functions, and project costs, among other relevant topics.
The delegation included H.E. Abdul Rahim Al Hammadi, Assistant Undersecretary for Support Services; H.E. Engineer Mariam Saeed Hareb, Acting Assistant Undersecretary for Water Resources and Nature Conservation, Ministry of Environment and Water; H.E. Dr. Dr Misbah Rashid Hamid, the director general of UAQ Municipality; Engineer Yousef Al-Ahmad Al Raisi, Director of Waste Management, Ministry of Environment and Water; Mr. Ali Al Mazroui, a representative of the Ministry of Presidential Affairs; Engineer Yahya Rashid Obaid Al Ali, a key expert in project management, Ministry of Environment and Water; Hameed Mualla from Ajman Municipality; Mr. Mohammed Atiq from Fujairah Municipality; and Ms. Sonya Nasser, Technical Director, Sewerage Authority and Waste Management at Ras Al Khaimah Public Works & Services Department.