Santhosh Chandran
Doha
Residents, business groups and environmentalists are unanimous in their praise of the massive cleanliness drive undertaken by the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) in Industrial Area to remove construction waste, abandoned cars, tyres and cabins.
A majority of the residents say the campaign will help reduce the level of pollution and the removal of abandoned vehicles and tyres from the roadside will ease traffic flow during peak hours.
Jacob Thomas, a foreman at a garage, said increasing number of abandoned vehicles and the volume of construction waste in Industrial Area pose a challenge to businesses.
"A campaign of this kind will help sort out all these issues," Jacob said.
Referring to an incident garbage catching fire recently, an Asian expatriate resident said,"A campaign of this kind at the beginning of the summer will certainly help prevent such fire incidents. The irresponsible dumping of garbage is one of the major causes of many a fire in Industrial Area."
Akhil Krishna, an environmentalist and a member of the Qatar Birds Club, said,"Industrial Area is also home to nearly 300,000 expatriate workers. Dusts created out of metal components are always a hazard as they pollute the environment and increase the temperature in the surrounding area. The removal of abandoned and metal scraps will benefit a large number of residents."
Many industrialists and business groups who are facing challenges due to the spread of construction wastes in the area are ready to support the campaign.
An Asian expatriate who runs a 'scrap' shop said,"If allowed, we are ready to lend our employees to the campaign. Public participation in a campaign like this will help create awareness about the need to keep the environment clean."
turn to page 3