Eighth Conference for Water, Energy Management
DAMASCUS, (ST) -The 8th conference for the Management of Water, Energy and Waste recently discussed the effects of environmental degradation and the work to lay the foundations of environmental participatory action among the concerned bodies. The Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs held the event recently in Damascus in cooperation with the Quality Group of Studies under the title of “Repercussions of the Crisis on Energy, Water, Waste, Agriculture and Health.”
Minister of State for Environmental Affairs, Dr. Nazira Sarkis, explained that Syria suffers from several negative impacts that were monitored during the current crisis, affected many of the agricultural, industrial, services, and economic sectors, and affected directly or indirectly on the environment. The minister pointed out that the conference aims at briefing on the environmental reality and shedding light on the most important environmental challenges and ways to find solutions to them.
The Minister said that the government is continuous to provide all necessary and required services to the man, his health and safety. She pointing out that her Ministry of for Environmental Affairs is working hard to protect the environment in coordination with all concerned bodies to preserve the environment through plans, strategies and the promotion of the participatory approach in environmental work.
Dr. Sarkis showed that the ministry had signed a number of cooperation agreements with other ministries and organizations, associations and research bodies to implement several awareness, media and environment activities. The minister confirmed coordination with the concerned authorities in the implementation of humanitarian response plan, especially in the areas of sanitation, drinking water, solid waste and education.
For his part, General Manager of the Quality Group of Studies, Majid Sharaf, clarified the importance of cooperation and joint action between the public and private sector, taking advantage of the civil society in the preparation and completion of the studies and mapping out solutions and realistic programs.
The two-day conference discussed the negative environmental impacts resulting from the cessation of projects at the Ministry of Environment including the repercussion of the crisis on health sector, the effects of environmental pollution on health, ways to deal with medical waste in emergency situations, the economic, environmental and social effects resulting from the encroachments on the oil sector in Syria. The conferees also discuss the effects of air pollution in the status quo, the effects of the current crisis in Syria, the economic sanctions on renewable energies and cleaner production, the importance of biogas plants as a source of alternative energy.
Deputy Minister of State for Environmental Affairs, Director of the Syrian Investment Commission, Director of the National Center for Energy Research and a number of representatives of the ministries of industry, health, electricity and the environment attended the opening of the conference.
Sharif al -Khatib