Syrian - Swedish cooperation on pollution prevention in the Barada River Basin
Syria, Environment, 11/22/1999

A study on Industrial pollution prevention and wastewater minimization in the Barada River Basin in Syria has been prepared by two Swedish experts: Karl - Gunnar Hellstrom, who is a water and environmental engineer, and Klas Hedman, who is a chemical engineer, water and environmental engineer, and a chief engineer. Both are making consultations worldwide for the SWECO International.

In a statement to ArabicNews.com Hedman said the development objective of the project is to improve water quality and water use efficiency, primarily in the Barada river basin, and in the long term at national levels.

He said the initiative for the project came from the Syrian Ministry of the Environment to the Swedish government. It is financed by the Swedish government, by SIDA (the Swedish International Development Agency), a Swedish governmental donor organization.

Hedman continued that this initiative has been discussed for at least two years with a main focus on industrialization of pollution, especially water pollution.

The Swedish experts continued that the project has two main objectives: to eliminate water pollution and to try to reduce water consumption in industry.

He said the total cost of the project is estimated at approximately US $200,000, adding that this sum is allotted just for the first phase of the project.

Hedman added that this project is in joint cooperation with the Syrian Ministry of the Environment, which is to pay some local costs. He added that this phase takes seven months and will finish by June, 2000.

Hedman continued that the project is one of several activities contemplated by the government of Syria for implementation in the Barada River Basin, which will be directed towards water quality and the improvement of water use efficiency. He commented that the project will also serve as a pilot project, with the intention that methodologies and knowledge developed under the project may be replicated and used in other areas.

Furthermore, he hinted, the project will develop and propose environmental management measures and institutional measures intended for national application.

Hedman said the objective is to develop an integrated action plan for the reduction of industrial effluents and industrial water use in the Barada River basin. He said the action plan will include activities which will create environmental awareness, provide technical knowledge, and define economic institutional and financial requirements for water treatment and reduction of water use.

In a similar statement to ArabicNews.com Karl - Gunnar Hellstrom said phase one of the project is divided into many parts. One is about the institutional organization of environmental affairs. He explained: "We are looking how the question of cooperation among the Syrian ministries concerned over this issue, like the ministries of irrigation, housing and the Ministry of Industry, because all of them are involved in controlling pollution in one way or another."

Hellstrom said the main problem in this issue is that the environmental law is still missing, but there is a draft law in the Syrian parliament that will be endorsed to this effect. Mr. Hellstrom indicated that, "There is some sort of cooperation among ministries, but it is not regulated yet."

He said that one of the most important aspects of this project is the training of personnel on the issue of water pollution. He stated that the institutional business is looking at the situation of pollution and what can be done in this respect, adding that the most time will be dedicated during the next six months to training Syrian personnel.

Hellstrom said the second part of the second phase is composed training and environmental reviews, which means, "We intend to investigate different branches in connection with the level of production, water consumption and pollution." He continued that it is a survey over different industries. "In general," he said, "it is to elect information from different industries to get impressions of the actual level of pollution."

To create the possibilities to evaluate to take certain measures to reduce pollution" by the use of cleaning production and waste minimization technique.," Hellstrom commented On the project's target groups, Hellstrom said the immediate target groups of the project are managers of private and public industries in the Barada basin, technical officers of the concerned government departments, including provinces and municipalities, and higher-level policy makers in those departments.

He added that other important target groups are the people living in the areas adjacent to the industries and along the Barada river, who are using surface and groundwater for drinking and irrigation purposes, and associations and organizations representing these groups of people.

Hellstrom concluded by saying the "ecosystem as such, being a major user of water, is considered a major beneficiary of the project."

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