1st Phase of Integrated Environmental Management Project of al -Abrash River Reviewed

DAMASCUS, (ST) – A meeting was held here recently between the Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs and the General Commission for Remote Sensing. Participants reviewed the final results of the first phase of the monitoring project and integrated environmental management of al- Abrash River, which involved a general study of the project area and research materials, its methods and its stages.

Project supervisor from the General Commission for Remote Sensing, Dr. Ahmad Yaghi, pointed out to the recommendations and proposals that were made to address the environmental problems that al -Abrash River was afflicted, according to the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs and the Commission for Remote Sensing which includes scientific and technical cooperation in the fiel of environmental work at the national level.

Minister of State for Environmental Affairs, Dr. NaziraSarkis, confirmed importance of the participatory action among all national bodies in order to reach the desired outcomes that contribute to improving environmental work, indicating that the project aims to identify environmental problems that afflict al- Abrash River in Tartous and take the necessary actions to solve them in addition to benefiting from the National expertise to reduce pollutants in all its forms.

The minister pointed out that the work is in progress and the Ministry of the Environment is following up all issues and environmental problems and that the ministry continues to work in spite of all the hard circumstances in Syria.

For his part, Director General of the General Commission for Remote Sensing, Dr. Osama Ammar, underlined the integrity of the work and true partnership with the Ministry of Environment through the exchange of experiences between the two parties to improve the environmental situation, calling for appropriate action to reduce pollution at al –Abrash River.

It is worthy noted that the Ministry of Environment and the General Commission for Remote Sensing are carrying out many environmental projects and studies, including the Environmental National a Observatory and Integrated Environmental Management Project of the Northern and the Southern Great Rivers and an environmental integrated study of land use in some governorates as well as training of personnel in the Directorates  of Environment to establish an environmental databank and other projects.

Sh. Kh.