Syrian environmentalist: It is high time now for the reconciliation of man and its surroundings for sustainable development
Syria, Environment, 6/5/2000

Islam is distinctly featured as the most exceeding regarding environmental awareness. It promotes us as individuals and societies to take care of nature and to develop earth without cutting trees or harming life, said Dean faculty of Architecture- Tishreen University- Lattakia, Dr. Nuhad. J. Abdallah, using a religious tone to emphasize the importance of protecting the environment.

Abdallah is also the national director of bio-diversity and Protected Area Management project.

Dr. Abdallah added God has appointed us as his successors on earth as a rational administration by his saying: God has said to the angles that I have left you on earth as a successor. In al-Hadith the prophet said if doomsday came and one of you had a plant in his hand let him plant it.

That is the prophetic upbringing of environmental dimension.

Dr. Abdallah added the economic development in all walks of life in Syria during the last decades had a remarkable influence on the natural and environmental balance. It was evident on the main components of environment including: air, water, the animal kingdom ( man, tamed and wild animals, fish and birds) in addition to the plant kingdom, soil and climate.

He continued that heavy industries existed on the Syrian coastal line such as: cement factories, oil refinery and thermal station, oil terminals, tobacco manufacture, wood panel factory, Aluminum, electric motor manufacture, textile and food industries factories.

He elaborated environmental damage came the large number of small industrial establishments such as refrigeration and cold storage units, battery, soap and synthetic detergent industries, assembling electrical machines, food industry and oil presses along the coastal line and the highland regions. In addition to the outcomes of burned oil, excessive use of agricultural fertilizers and pesticides, untreated sewage water, ways of waste disposal whether the results of habitants or other activities.

Dr Abdallah said that all these have created a critical environmental situation forcing all the official and unofficial sides to work on studying the recent environmental situation and determining how far the environment has been affected by it.

Dr Abdallah focused on the main environmental problems persisting on the Syrian coast and which the ministry of environment is trying to solve in collaboration with the local Syrian and international expertise.

These include the sea water pollution resulting of untreated sewage water and industrial wastes direct and indirect disposal into the sea through rivers and rivulets; beach pollution due to haphazard untreated direct disposal of industrial or habitants solid wastes on the beach; ground water pollution due to untreated industrial and non industrial water wastes disposal to rivers, valleys and arable lands; and also due to the excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers; Air pollution due to the emission of different kinds of gasses resulting from industrial establishment, traffic, the dust pollution caused by cement, marbles paving stones and tobacco factories and arable land pollution due to nonscientific use of fertilizers and pesticides, and also due to the use of untreated solid wastes in fertilizing arable lands and liquid wastes disposal into arable lands as the case of olive- presses.

Dr. Abdallah also remarked on other persisting environmental issues on the coast, especially that the industrial establishment nearness to cities and the interpenetrating of residential areas with the industrial ones; the rise of the population growth rate has caused a deficiency in meeting the requirements it needed, particularly in the area of sewage disposal. In addition to the sprawling of illegal housing and their devastating impact on agricultural lands.

Dr. Abdallah also indicated to this effect the absence of bio-balance as a result of the use of chemical pesticides, aggressive sea and terrestrial hunting activities, and also the shrinkage of forest areas due to the continuous encroachment upon these areas to be transferred into agricultural lands or because of natural or intentional fires.

He commented that these crosscutting issues are not only peculiar to the Syrian coast but also influencing and influenced by the general environmental situation of the Mediterranean basis. Consequently, the environmental issue on our plant.

On the impact of these pollution issues on the surroundings, Dr. Abdallah said the impact of these issues was quite obvious on our environmental surrounding which can be easily detected if we go back in time.

On the role expected to be played by the Syrian ministry of environment in dealing with all these issues, Dr. Abdallah said " however hard the effort the ministry of environment in Syria is facing, these inherited pollution negatives, the ministry's tasks cannot be fulfilled without the collaboration of other ministries concerned. Above all, the civil society should be aware through its non- governmental organizations, the significant role of the ministry of the environment in creating a clear an integrated growth strategy of balance between man and nature."

He said that since its establishment, as the first environmental ministry in the Arab world, the Syrian ministry of the environment tackled the environmental issues scientifically and responsibly in Syria in general and on the Syrian coast, particularly.

As for the main activities carried out by the Ministry of the environment in the Syrian coast, Abdallah said the following activities have been worked on: The implementation of an integrated environmental planning of the coastal zone and drawing up a plan for the management of coastal resources. It has been carried out by experts at the ministry in cooperation with counterparts of the UNEP, through which has been identified the most significant natural resources along the Syrian coast and at 15 Km of the east of the beach. The impact of daily and economic activities on these resources has been also studied. This study has revealed the risks the natural resources are exposed to.

Basing itself on the principles and philosophy of sustainable development consistent with the criteria and procedure of integrated planning of coastal zones, the plan has taken quick and effective steps to avert environmental and development degradation and to set up instruments for a future dynamic development.

Another main activity run by the ministry Abdallah noted is the drawing up of a map for land use in the coastal regions ( 1993) based on the results of the previous activities of the ministry. It includes preparing a forestation and recovery programs particularly for indigenous species and adopting a strict protection policy and the policy of preserving prime agricultural lands as much as possible.

Mining and quarrying should not be allowed in environmentally sensitive areas, he said, adding that the coastal agriculture should be encouraged but monitored ( use of pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and encroachment upon natural resources). It is necessary to protect coastal waters from harmful activities ( dynamite fishing ) and shoreline sand extraction should be forbidden.

He added that it has also been suggested specially protected areas nearly more than 30 sites whether for their environmental, historic, aesthetic or natural significance. In the field of water resources protection a groundwater pollution potential map has been drawn up to be an additional tool for planning and management. It helps to recognize the places where certain activities pose a higher pollution risk. He indicated that the same could be applied regarding the map of surface water protection from pollution.

Dr. Abdallah noted another project which is of no less important. It is studying the scenarios of environment and development in the Syrian coast in collaboration with the Blue Plan center, which includes improving and analyzing a number of development options and studying their impacts on environment. He said that three scenarios have been determined in this regard: The potential development of transport sector: If Syrian harbors have been developed, some activities that might influence the coastal environment will appear which should be studied and set plans to be avoided beforehand.

Regarding the potential development of the tourist sector, Dr. Abdallah, remarked that tourist facilities must be increased and developed, in addition to providing water resources, systems of liquid and solid waste disposal and other activities the development of the tourist sector might require.

Abdallah went on saying that the third scenario is concerned with the potential development of the agricultural sector and the necessity of providing the required water resources. He said this study has noticed the impacts of this issue regarding water pumping in the coastal basin which will cause the intrusion of saline and ground water and the probability of future environmental problems as a result.

Studying the impacts of proposed climatic changes on the Syrian coast depending on the UN reports which indicate the possibility of a temperature rise from 1.5 to 3 degrees, rising of sea levels from 1.5- 1 meter. Accordingly, the impacts that might affect agriculture and land use in the Syrian Coast have been also studied, and the required suggestions and recommendations have been made in case this change has happened.

Working successively on developing administratively and technically the ministry of environment's capabilities, an environmental directorate for the coastal region in Tartous and a subsidiary environmental department in Lattakia has been established. A program has also been defined to provide for using GIS applications in the area of environmental studies.

In the area of international collaboration, Dr Abdallah said the ministry of environment has worked in collaboration with all regional and international work programs such as Mediterranean Action Plan ( MAP) to monitor the coastal waters, studying pollutants resulting from land resources and determining environmentally the hot spots area. It also collaborates particularly with the European Union in preparing a national emergency plan to face any coastal disaster and also to carry out part of the Integrated Coastal Management study plan, collaboratively with Lebanon.

To this effect Dr. Abdallah said the ministry set the plans to solving hot environmental issues: Sewage treatment stations in Lattakia and Tartous; providing the cement factories in Tartous with filters; the thermal station rehabilitation in Banias and making a study of oil outlets in Banias and Tartous.

Dr. Abdallah concluded as saying: " the Environment World day is a day for environmental awareness in societies that look to the future generations with hope for much stability and balance between development and the environment. It is high time now for the reconciliation of man and his surroundings so that sustainable development can be materialized.

Previous Stories:
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  Syrian - Swedish cooperation on pollution prevention in the Barada River Basin   (11/22/1999)
  Poster campaign in Damascus to ration water consumption   (9/14/1999)

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