Doha: The Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) launched yesterday the first phase of the Marine Environmental Monitoring Programme for the year 2021.
The teams of the Monitoring and Environmental Laboratory Department of MME started collecting samples from the marine environment to analyse them and make the necessary measurements in several of the coastal marine water monitoring sites in the State of Qatar. The first phase covers 14 of the coastal water sites in various areas of the country.
During the collection of samples, the Ministry’s field monitoring teams included tourist, and economic and industrial areas, as well as marine reserves and coastal areas that are frequently visited by people, as the marine field environmental scanning is conducted semi-annually, during winter and summer.
Field measurements and their results are conducted during the environmental and the marine field scanning, using the latest scientific and international devices specialised in field marine readings, and samples are collected from water, marine sediments and seabed soil. The environmental laboratory analyses these samples to determine the characteristics and physical results of temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen concentrations, pH, transparency of water, chlorine, while chemical measurements are carried out through chemical elements, heavy metals, petroleum hydrocarbons, and the chemically and biologically consumed oxygen.
The Department issues a detailed semi-annual report on the situation of the marine environment in the State of Qatar, including environmental indicators. Efforts to protect the Qatari environment and its resources and their sustainability come within the framework of the attention and care given to the environment under fourth pillar of the Qatar National Vision 2030.
