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ABU DHABI / WAM
The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) acquired ISO 16133: 2018 certification, which is an internationally approved standard for managing soil quality monitoring programmes. It is the first organisation in the Middle East and Africa to acquire this certification.
EAD obtained compliance to ISO 16133: 2018 standard from the British Standards Institution (BSI) in the Middle East and Africa, after a successful audit of the agency’s soil quality monitoring programme and its soil database of Abu Dhabi, the Agency announced.
This achievement reflects the commitment of the EAD to maintaining international standards while serving the environmental sector in Abu Dhabi.
It is also an example of the agency’s leading role in enhancing environmental protection and sustainability, preserving the well-being of all human beings and ensuring a better quality of life for all.
Speaking about the certification, Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, EAD’s Secretary-General said, “We are very proud of this achievement and the ISO 16133: 2018 certification is an important addition to the list of ISO certifications that EAD has received in recent years. According to BSI, we are the first institution in the MEA region to receive this international certification, and be recognised for our specialisation in the field of implementing soil quality monitoring programmes.”
She added, “One of our major priorities at EAD is focusing on offering the highest work standards in our pursuit for excellence. This is always reflected in the outcome and accuracy of the output of the environmental monitoring programmes that we implement.”
Shaikha Al Hosani, Executive Director of the Environmental Quality Sector at EAD said, “In 2016, we prioritised soil and land protection within our institutional strategy. We also aimed to provide sustainable and integrated solutions to conserve the valuable natural resources of Abu Dhabi.”
She added, “One of EAD’s significant strategic goals is the focus on strengthening policies and developing legislative frameworks for soil quality protection.”
Al Hosani noted, “Soil quality monitoring programmes are the first step in Abu Dhabi to protecting land and soil from deterioration. They also serve to provide accurate data that sheds light on the changes in soil quality over time, determine the impact of human activities and measure the risk level of pollution. Without these programmes, we will not be able to provide a timely response to mitigate change and measure the effect on human health and the environment.”
Bayan Athamneh, Manager of the Soil Quality Section of EAD said, “Since 2018, we began the implementation of a programme to monitor and assess soil quality in Abu Dhabi. We especially measured changes that occur as a result of residential, industrial and agricultural activities. We monitored more than 270 sites throughout the emirate, and more than 570 soil samples per year were collected and evaluated to identify potential pollutants that are caused by different types of land use.
“The programme monitors heavy metals, pesticides, and levels of petroleum hydrocarbons. The results of this programme are the basis for our future land management plans, and a prelude to the development of policies, regulations and legislation for soil protection and rehabilitation.”
Athamneh added, “We are always pioneering various leading initiatives, which asserts our role in protecting land and soil. Our work sets a precedent not only on a regional level, but also globally.”
“We recently launched a pilot project to monitor and control soil quality using drones and advanced remote sensing technologies (hyperspectral images). We also integrated artificial intelligence models for data analysis.”
She added, “The results of this project will pave the way for a wealth of specialised research to enhance soil quality monitoring methodologies and rehabilitation solutions. Moreover, the results will provide a basis for additional research and be a main resource for a database that can utilise the remote sensing data and artificial intelligence techniques.”