Who is minding the Environment?by Anil Kumar T. P, GIS Co-ordinator, Environment Department |
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In today's chemical filled world, there has developed an urgent need for an entity to regulate this potential kilo substance as it enters and leaves the country. In the recent past, statistics have shown that the universe is getting polluted at an alarming rate especially in the developed and developing world. The emission of toxic gases from chemical plants and factories into the air is causing enormous damage to the environment which affects directly or indirectly all life on earth.
Having a clean and pollution free atmosphere is any individual's, or even country's, dream. Knowing where toxic gases emanate from incase there is a chemical leak is essential. Curbing the influx of illegal chemicals into a country to ensure a safe and healthy living is also a necessity. The GIS unit of the Environment Department was quick to realise this and recognise the potential of having information system to control all the chemical related activities in the State of Qatar.
The first of a series of applications developed by the GIS Environment Department - Chemical Information System (CIS) - helps to keep track of all imports of chemicals into the country. The advantage of this system is its aptitude to store extensive details like the type and quantity of all chemicals imported, the importer and most importantly, spatially locate the storage area. This information will be useful for spatial analysis when a residential area, a school or any place of public gathering like a mosque is to be erected. There has to be sufficient proof that any construction is as far removed from any of these storage facilities as possible.
CIS also allows the department to follow up on the chemical operations in the country as it is the responsibility of the Environment Department (with the help of Civil Defence Department) to ensure that the storage facilities are fully equipped with appropriate safety features to hold the specific chemical. CIS enables the staff to effectively control and monitor the import of hazardous and radioactive chemicals.
CIS is an archive for all the chemical related imports and the process of importing has become easier and faster with its help. Application forms for importing chemicals into Qatar have already been redesigned to facilitate data entry. Unlike the old system where applications waited almost a week for approval, now it is obtained within a day or two.
The CIS data is also
beneficial to the Education and Planning agencies to ensure
that no schools or other public buildings are built in
potentially dangerous sites. In the event of an emergency in
any of the storage facilities, the Chemical Information
System is capable of displaying and producing maps,
providing information on the closest health facility,
ambulance departure points, fire stations, telephone booths
etc. It also identifies the major buildings of public
interest like schools and mosques which are located within a
user specified radius which are at risk and will need
immediate attention. Once such sites are identified, the
process of evacuation and other precautionary measures can
be undertaken at a faster pace. The system, having details
on each storage facility, is in a position to provide safety
& fire fighting equipment already present, the escape
routes etc. With the help of the list of chemicals stored,
precautionary measures can be taken to avoid any further
tragedies.
In the words of Mohd. Gulum, Head of Chemical Control, Environment Department, "CIS is a single database which has solved a multitude of our problems. It has provided us with various features with a click of a button and greatly facilitated our department's efficiency. Through CIS, we can check whether a particular company has permission to import a specific chemical as well as the safety of its storage facility. Even the spatial attributes attached to the storage facility can be visualised and it can be ensured that no hazardous chemicals are being stored in the vicinity of places of public gatherings."
Apart from the chemicals, the system also keeps track of the Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) imported into Qatar. Qatar is a signatory to the Montreal Protocol which sets out guidelines for the use and import of Chloro Flouro Carbon (CFC). The Environment Department is responsible for implementing it and with the help of CIS, it can curb the import of all ozone depleting substances. At the end of every year, each signatory provides a report on these imports and in Qatar, CIS produces these reports with the click of a button. The report is in the same format as specified by the United Nations (UN) and reports the import of all ODS in a user specified year along with the quantities.
" Summarily, CIS has single handedly saved us a lot of time, money and energy by providing us with all the information required for efficient management of hazardous chemical storage facilities in Qatar" concludes Khalid Ghanim Al Ali, Director of Environment Department.