Abu Dhabi has a new emergency centre to deal with environmental disasters.
The centre has been established as part of the nation's disaster processes under the National Emergency Response Plan. It will be kept on standby and activated only when an environmental crisis occurs.
The role of the centre is to:
- Draft crisis-scenario plans
- Co-ordinate the Government's response to crises
- Communicate with other Government departments such as the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority
- Create a central environmental database
- Carry out on-site inspections
- Collect data
- Recommend ways to avoid or mitigate the effects of environmental disasters.
The 400 employees that would be based at the Centre will have basic emergency response training. Emergencies will be divided into three groups - tier one will be dealt with by agency staff only, tier two will require collaboration with other Government departments and tier three will involve agencies outside Abu Dhabi.
With oil spills and algal blooms among the potential environmental disasters that could impact the Unite Arab Emirates, the new centre is ideally placed to respond and co-ordinate the crisis resources.
Meanwhile Canada's National Energy Board (NEB) says it has strengthened regulations for federally regulated oil and natural gas pipelines to make them safer for people and the environment.
As part of a long-term strategy, the NEB has taken a proactive approach, requiring companies to actively address safety, pipeline integrity, security, environmental protection and emergency management.
The new regulations include a requirement for companies to appoint "accountable officers" with responsibility for ensuring that safety and environmental goals are addressed by all employees from top executives to frontline workers.