Green and sustainable development concepts are gaining strength in Qatar and more serious efforts in the direction can be expected in the near future, the Doha Green and Sustainability Summit here was told yesterday. The one-day conference was organised by the Qatar Green Building Council in partnership with Qatar Today. In his opening address, Sheikh Hamad bin Jabor Al Thani, Director General of the General Secretariat for Development Planning (GSDP) said Qatar was keen to achieve sustainable development in all its aspects — environmental, economical and social. “The construction boom has also brought challenges that are affecting the various aspects of life in the country. There is a need for reviving our building heritage in a way that meets the demands of modernity and contributes to the harmonious relation between people and the environment,” said Sheikh Hamad. “This is what the Qatar Nation Vision 2030 aims at, with its four pillars — human development, economic development, and social development,” he added. Speakers at the conference drew attention to the environmental challenges facing Qatar and the region as a result of urbanisation and the construction boom. Dr Hassan Ibrahim Al Mohannadi, Director of Technical Bureau at GSDP, gave a presentation on Qatar Vision and indicators of the current sustainable development in which he highlighted the positive development indicators in the country and identified some of the major challenges. Later, participating in a panel discussion, he said public awareness was the most effective means to achieve sustainable development and address environmental threats. One of the participants in the audience wondered why the authorities had decided to build the New Doha International Airport on reclaimed land while plenty of desert land was available in the country. Another participant said most manufacturers shy from adopting green building concepts because they are far more expensive in comparison to conventional methods. Dr Yousef Alhorr, chairman and managing director of Barwa and Qatari Diar Research Institute, said serious steps were being undertaken by various ministries and government departments in Qatar to implement the concepts of green and sustainable development. “Soon we will be able to see important steps in this direction,” said Alhorr. http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=April2010&file=Local_News2010041223624.xml

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