Ali Jassim al-Kuwari, Head of the Water Environment Quality Department at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME), disclosed a project of a marine monitoring network, to measure water quality on the Qatari coast around the clock, through buoys equipped with electronic devices that will be placed in a number of areas along the coasts of Qatar. Local Arabic daily Arrayah reported.
Al-Kuwari said that the MME is also working on implementing another project to improve water quality in Doha Bay and overcome the challenges posed by the many depositories that throw their water into it. These monitoring operations are carried on the beaches and within the territorial waters. He explained that the dead fish that appear during the summer months are caused by the phenomenon of red tides that occur during high temperatures.
“This phenomenon is also due to marine plankton floating on the surface of the water in huge quantities, which decreases the oxygen content and suffocates fish. The plankton appears in several colours, including gray or yellow, and this phenomenon occurs annually, although its severity varies from year to year, and the matter has nothing to do with poisoning. We are notified about these tides or any pollution by an international organization that monitors pollution operations in all seas, in order to get prepared to face it before it reaches the territorial waters,” he said.
Al-Kuwari explained that the program of collecting samples from territorial waters will be launched at the end of this month or early next month, in close cooperation between us and the General Department of Coastal and Border Security, during which we will take samples from 16 sites within the territorial waters of Qatar. The program takes place annually and it is scheduled that our ship will go on a cruise for a 4 day period.
“The planned network will be linked to the national network that connects the MME’s buoys to other institutions and companies and Hamad International Airport’s buoys, and will be assembled and put together in one operation room,” he said.
He pointed out that the project has been put up for tender to choose a company that will undertake its implementation. Subsequently, the network will allow us to monitor the water quality electronically and remotely instead of field visits. Al-Kuwari added that there is joint cooperation with the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy regarding air monitoring in the World Cup stadiums, and the Air Department of the Environmental Monitoring Department has a project to set up 7 stations in the World Cup stadiums to measure air quality, in addition to a mobile station that we can place anywhere it will be necessary to measure the air quality.