Minister highlights need to protect nature

By Ramesh Mathew/Staff Reporter

Speaking to journalists after an inspection tour of pavilions at the seventh Qatar Petroleum (QP) Environment Fair at Doha Exhibition Centre yesterday, HE Dr al-Sada underlined the need to initiate more efforts to protect the country’s environment - for the well-being of children and the future generation - by launching systematic eco-friendly plans and initiatives. The event  will be open to the public from today and continue until Tuesday.

The minister said the environment fair reflected the high level of importance the country’s administrators were attaching to the spread of environment awareness among the residents of Qatar. “QP’s Environment Fair represents the comprehensive measures being undertaken by the country’s oil and gas sector for implementation of the environmental objectives outlined by Qatar National Vision 2030,” he asserted.

While appreciating the array of environment-friendly projects exhibited at the fair, HE Dr al-Sada hoped that they would go a long way to promote sustainable development across the country without compromising the basic principles of environmental protection.

The event will feature more than 35 exhibitors, including QP affiliates and departments, its subsidiaries and joint ventures, and oil and gas companies operating in Qatar. Several government organisations, environmental bodies and academic institutions will also be present.

The three-day fair will also comprise a number of educational and entertainment activities for visitors. Story-telling sessions, handicraft pavilions, live performances and dedicated areas highlighting marine environment, plantation and a desert eco-system are among the highlights of the event.

A play highlighting environment protection - Shoo Fi Bil Jazeerah? (What is happening on the island?) - will be staged on all three days. Besides, an “environment race” featuring schoolchildren has been scheduled for tomorrow and Tuesday.

Apart from the QP directorates and departments, subsidiaries and joint ventures such as Dolphin Energy, Gulf Helicopters, Oryx GTL, Qatalum, Qatar Chemical Company, Qatar Electricity and Water Company, Qatar Fertiliser Company, Qatar Fuel (Woqod), Qatar Fuel Additives Company, Qatar Petrochemical Company, Qatar Petroleum International, Qatar Steel, Qatargas, RasGas and SEEF Limited will also participate in the fair.

Other exhibitors include the Ministry of Environment, Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa), Qatar Foundation, Qatar Energy and Environment Research Institute, Environmental Studies Children’s Literature Center, Friends of Environment Center and One Million Trees Campaign.

Apart from HE Dr al-Sada, Qatar University president Prof Sheikha al-Misnad, Qatar Electricity and Water Company general manager Fahd Mohamed al-Mohannadi, Kahramaa president Issa bin Hilal al-Kuwari and Ashghal managing director Nasser al-Mawlawi were among those present in the opening ceremony.