“Abu Dhabi Environment” issues an organizational regulation to prepare and respond to environmental emergency

The Environment Authority – Abu Dhabi has issued an organizational regulation on preparation and response to environmental emergency in the emirate. The regulations enable the commission to take immediate and urgent measures when any environmental emergency occurs, and reduce the effects and damages resulting from it, which achieves proactive protection of the environment.

The regulation was prepared by Law No. 16 of 2005 regarding the reorganization of the Environment Authority – Abu Dhabi and its amendments, and its provisions apply to all facilities and projects that need to obtain a license from the authority in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and its activities result in environmental pollution that leads, or it may lead, to influence the marine, wild or air environment, which causes, or may cause an environmental emergency. The regulations are applied within the framework of the evaluation, licensing, enforcement and environmental inspection system adopted by the authority, which achieves the control and follow -up necessary for all environmental activities, and provides proactive or corrective procedures appropriate for environmental emergencies.

The regulation stipulates that the authority shall start its powers in classifying installations and projects according to the potential environmental risks resulting from its activities, reviewing the plans for the response of facilities and projects to possible environmental emergencies and their approval, and preparing the requirements and controls related to preparation and response to possible environmental emergency situations and their approval.

According to the regulations, the authority implements awareness and educational workshops in the field of preparing and activating environmental response plans, and simulating the various environmental emergency to raise the level of readiness of facilities and projects. The regulation also states that facilities and projects take the necessary measures to avoid any environmental emergency that may result from their operational activities, by providing qualified and trained human cadres and preparing response plans for possible environmental emergency.

The issuance of the regulations comes within the framework of developing the legislative system related to licensing and environmental enforcement and harnessing regulations related to this field, which contributes to addressing the possible negative environmental effects that arise from developmental, industrial and other activities, and this supports the efforts of the authority seeking to preserve the environment, protect biological diversity and preserve the quality of life, and the authority will work to implement the regulations in cooperation with strategic partners in The emirate, based on systematic and organized procedures.