The Secretariat of Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions on chemical and hazardous wastes have praised Qatar's commitment to implementing their provisions and co-operation in sending all reports related to the ban on the import and use of chemicals.
The Ministry of Municipality and Environment, represented by the national point of contact for the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions at the Department of Radiation Protection and Chemicals, received a letter of thanks and appreciation from the Secretariat, as the ministry had banned the use and import of some chemicals that were added to Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention at the latest meeting of the parties (COP-9).
The ministry's decision to ban the use and importation of some materials came on the basis of the environmental and health risks resulting from these chemicals’ use. The ministry recommended companies to use alternatives to these materials, within the framework of Qatar's constant keenness, as a signatory to international conventions, to implement their provisions.
The Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions are multilateral environmental agreements, which share the common objective of protecting human health and the environment from hazardous chemicals and wastes.
In another context, the Environmental Monitoring and Laboratory Department of the Ministry of Municipality and Environment received a number of the latest devices for monitoring the quality of the marine environment, and trained a team of its staff on how to use and calibrate the devices in direct monitoring, with the aim of supporting programmes to protect the marine environment in the country.
For its part, Al Rayyan municipality, in co-operation with a consulting services company, organised a number of training courses on the measures taken to limit the impact and spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) for workers in the food sectord in hotels, restaurants, public kitchens and consumer complexes.
Meanwhile, during the first half of the current year, the Department of Services Affairs in Umm Slal Municipality planted 1,304 Spina-Christi and Washingtonia trees on the service lane parallel to Al Shamal Road, Al Sanea Station, Umm Al Amad and Umm Salal Ali entrances, in addition to planting 451,000 flower seedlings in the municipality's gardens.
Al Rayyan municipality also organised a number of educational and agricultural activities in co-operation with the Public Parks Department in a number of kindergartens and schools.
