Doha, Qatar: Local combustion-related indicators in Doha have shown a clear improvement in 2023 compared to the past five years.
“When we compare air quality in Qatar during the five years, we find signs of noticeable improvement in the levels of pollutants related to combustion emissions ” said Dr. M. Rami Alfarra, Principal Scientist and Air Quality Technical Lead, Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU).
In an interview with The Peninsula, Dr. Alfarra said that the 2023 environmental data showed a lower baseline for combustion related emissions from local human activities.
“This is promising as it shows on average up to 30% reduction in nitrogen dioxide and black carbon in the air - both of which are markers for combustion-related activities. The latter is a component of a pollutant detrimental to public health known as PM2.5 (particulate matter with particle size below 2.5 microns).”
“We are now assessing what appears to be a new, post-World Cup air quality baseline in Doha. We are extending our research efforts to determine how this data will compare to our measurements in 2024, evaluate its seasonal variability, and determine the local and regional sources of major air pollutants in Doha,” said Dr. Alfarra.
He added that QEERI has developed a set of data analytics tools and completed a comprehensive air quality baseline assessment across the Greater Doha Area between 2018 and 2023, providing insights into the state of air quality pre-and post-FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
“Our findings indicate a marked improvement in the levels of pollutants originating from combustion sources since the completion of the tournament’s preparations and related activities,” said Dr. Alfarra.
He said that the current state of air quality in Qatar is moderate on average, and that it varies depending on the pollutant of concern.
“When we look at the presence of different pollutants across the Greater Doha Area, we find that some - such as sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide - have been found in levels well within national and international regulatory standards, as well as World Health Organization guidelines,” said Dr. Alfarra.
“Other pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, ozone and particulate matter are more variable and require policy consideration and attention.”
He also said that while air pollution has local and transboundary sources, air quality across the Greater Doha Area is moderate on average due to natural dust affecting the area and emissions resulting from urbanization and various human activities.
QEERI has an ongoing strategic research program that aims to unravel a major air quality challenge in the state of Qatar and other similar urbanized arid regions. It is analysing the interaction between urbanisation emissions with natural dust found in the country’s environment to determine how this mixture affects human health.
“Our research is aimed at tackling national environmental and health challenges in the state of Qatar with a focus on the Greater Doha Area, where most of the country’s population reside. This work has far-reaching implications for our region and urbanised arid regions in general,” said Dr. Alfarra.
He said that the current literature on air quality research overlooks the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). “Most literature reflects pollution from human activities mixed with biogenic and marine emissions in Europe, North America, and China. However, the combination of near-source natural dust, urbanization and industrial emissions found in the region are currently under-reported in the wider literature and are not fully represented in global air quality health-based guidelines”.
“This is a pressing issue for our region and for similarly urbanized arid regions around the world. Hopefully, the research we are doing here in Qatar will contribute to our ability to address this challenge and devise appropriate mitigation solutions,” said Dr. Alfarra.
He said that QEERI operates an air quality research network composed of six research stations in and around the Greater Doha Area that capture data representative of regional background, suburban, urban, roadside, urban background and coastal locations in and around the Greater Doha Area.
“The network provides high-quality reference grade data and insights into key air quality, dust and meteorological variables since 2018,” said Dr. Alfarra.
He said that QEERI possesses state-of-the-art air quality and atmospheric science research capabilities, providing datasets and technical insights that help the State of Qatar determine and quantify the local and regional sources of dust and air pollution in the Greater Doha Area and develop national mitigation strategies to improve air quality and protect public health .
“QEERI is very well placed to provide research-based evidence to evaluate the state of air quality and help develop local and national solutions,” said Dr. Alfarra.
He added that QEERI recently contributed technical evidence on the air quality baseline in and around the Greater Doha area and provided an assessment and benchmarking of air quality data relative to national and international standards and WHO heath-based guidelines at a workshop organized and hosted by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoECC) entitled Towards Protecting Air Quality.
He suggested that air pollutants should be studied and addressed together as effective strategies require a coherent approach.
“Transboundary and regional pollution sources play a substantial role in determining the state of air quality in Qatar. Therefore, regional research collaboration and regulatory coordination is highly recommended as part of an effective approach to improving air quality in Qatar and the region,” said Dr. Alfarra.
He said that Qatar's air quality challenges are very similar in nature to the common challenges faced by all neighbouring countries.
“We have natural dust as a common pollutant in our region. The whole region has been urbanizing very rapidly with a fast population growth over the last 30 years,” said Dr. Alfarra.
He said that population growth and urbanization almost always have negative environmental impacts and that countries in the MENA region need to learn from the experiences of other regions to avoid or mitigate as much of this as possible.
“The main sources of air pollution in Qatar are natural dust and emissions from human activities. Dust plays a major role in determining the state of air quality, especially for particulate matter,” said Dr. Alfarra.
He added that sources resulting from human activities include local traffic, construction projects, industry and shipping. In this context, transboundary sources of pollution appear to play an important role in determining the state of air quality in Qatar and other countries in the region.
For air quality management, he said, there is an established hierarchy of interventions that is advised for most countries to adopt and follow whenever possible.
“This hierarchy involves three elements. Prevention, mitigation, and avoidance,” said Dr. Alfarra.
He said that prevention means trying to eliminate emissions of pollution, including the replacement of fossil fuel-powered energy with sources of renewable energy instead whenever possible.
“Electrification could be an important option for operations currently relying on diesel generators and machinery. Furthermore, technologies that combine electrification with renewable energy sources, such as solar or wind power, are certainly worth considering. Having said that, it is important that the mitigation of pollutants is considered holistically to ensure that certain measures do not result in unintended consequences for the environment while trying to address specific pollutants. One clear example of this is the common case of nitrogen dioxide and ozone. These pollutants are coupled together in the atmosphere and need to be addressed together and not separately,” said Dr. Alfarra.
“Eliminating polluting sources is a key measure for preventing pollution, which is the best strategy. However, it is not always possible because we do not have solutions for everything at the scale we require, so the next best thing is mitigation,” said Dr. Alfarra.
He said that it is critical to mitigate pollution, especially in areas where people live.
“The mitigation measures can involve multiple strategies, including increasing green cover in urban areas. However, this should be carefully designed and implemented, as the choice of tree species is critical to ensuring they do not lead to biogenic emissions that have negative implications for ozone and other secondary pollutants” said Dr. Alfarra.
He said that this would help reduce pollution levels by removing particles from the atmosphere. Other mitigation options include minimizing sources of fugitive dust by ensuring that we have more landscaping and less exposed surfaces of sand and dust in and around urban areas .
“It is also necessary to work with industries to mitigate their emissions. We should reduce emissions at their sources if possible and start with identifying and addressing the most polluting sources” said Dr. Alfarra.
On other sources, he said, there is a need to continue to work with major industrial partners to enhance existing efforts to further reduce emissions.
The final element of the hierarchy of interventions is avoidance. This relies on empowering the public with information and clear messages related to air quality in their surrounding areas using both real time trusted data and forecasting capabilities. It also includes raising public awareness about sources and impacts of outdoor and indoor air pollution, ensuring that individuals, especially members of vulnerable groups, have the awareness as well as the information needed to make informed decisions to help reduce their overall exposure to air pollution.
Dr. Alfarra emphasized the critical need to coordinate regional efforts to tackle air quality challenges on a wider scale. In this context, he reiterated the importance of establishing and coordinating research and policy frameworks at the regional scale to address the critical challenge of regional and transboundary sources of air pollution.
