Seminar on Results of Air Pollution

Study in Al-Hashimyeh Township/Zarqa

     

A seminar to discuss the results of a one-year study on monitoring air pollution in Al-Hashimyeh Township was held on July 23, 2001 at the Zarqa Governorate under the patronage of Zarqa Governor His Excellency Mr. Abdullah Al Sarhani. This study was conducted by RSS for the General Corporation for Environment Protection (GCEP).

The seminar discussed the results of monitoring gaseous air pollutants and inhalable particulate matter (PM10) in three locations in Al-Hashimyeh Township. The results showed that the three major sources of air pollution are the Jordan Petroleum Refinery, Al-Hussein Thermal Power Station and Khirbet Al-Samra Wastewater Treatment Plant which variantly affect air pollution levels in Al-Hashimyeh Township. The results also indicated that the hourly and daily averages of the hydrogen sulphide and sulphur dioxide gaseous air pollutants occasionally exceed the limits set by the Jordanian Ambient Air Quality Standard (JS1140/99).

Concerned parties took part in this specialized seminar, namely the Jordan Petroleum Refinery Company, the Central Electricity Generation Company, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, the Hashemite University, Jordan Environment Society and Jordan Engineers Association in addition to participants from GCEP and Zarqa Environment Protection Directorate.

Opening the seminar, Zarqa Governor said that care about environment is no longer a matter of luxury, but it rather has become a matter of great importance for its firm linkage with man’s life and existence. He added, “We are proud of the scientific studies and works done by our national institutions in the aim of serving the public interest. The study of air quality in Al-Hashimyeh region and the efforts exerted in preparing it clearly reflect the fruits of cooperation between two of our national institutions, namely GCEP and RSS, knowing that Al- Hashimyeh is considered the most polluted region in Jordan that deserves further care and attention by our national institutions.”
In an address delivered on his behalf, the GCEP director general thanked RSS for the efforts it exerted in conducting the study. He added that no one could ignore the great importance air protection enjoys, as air is one of the basic elements of life on earth. He said that GCEP has embarked for over three years on monitoring air pollution in Al- Hashimyeh as it is one of the regions that suffer from pollution resulted from factories. He also urged industrial firms and other polluting facilities to improve their environmental conditions in order to protect the environment and public health.
Director of RSS Environmental Research Centre Dr. Bassam Hayek said that this seminar is part of RSS activities to discuss the results of the air quality monitoring project with concerned parties. He added that the importance of this study stems from the special nature of Zarqa where several industrial, commercial and developmental activities are located. The study aimed at assessing levels of air pollution and the contribution of various sources in order to suggest appropriate measures to reduce air pollution and protect public health. He also stressed that RSS does not only work on describing and assessing the existing levels of pollutants, but it also proposes corrective measures and provides solutions to industries to eliminate pollution sources utilizing cleaner production concepts.

The study team presented the findings of the study, then the seminar concluded with a discussion of the suggested recommendations for minimizing air pollution. These include establishing a sulfur recovery unit at the refinery and taking proper measures to reduce hydrogen sulfide emissions from Khirbet Al-Samra plant. Recommendations for following up monitoring were also discussed including stack emissions measurements for the main air pollution sources and ambient air quality monitoring in addition to using mathematical air pollution dispersion modeling in the assessment.