Building Disaster Resilience within the Emirati Energy Sector through a Comprehensive Strategic Mitigation Plan

Disasters, both natural and man-made, have been occurring with increasing frequency and effect in recent decades in many countries around the world. Such threats have been shown to result in a loss of life, property and income and all of which have an impact on the country’s socio-economic structure and geo-political positioning. The UAE is steadily adapting its policies and practices to manage any potential disaster, whether natural or man-made. However, evidently the UAE is exposed and vulnerable to tectonic activity from a number of sources and yet there is little in the form of seismic detection, protection, resistance or design for some of the newest and tallest structures in the world. The paper highlights the importance of the strategic mitigation planning for disaster resilience within the Emirati Energy sector. It discusses the issue of disaster globally and then specifically with regards to the UAE, forming a critical analysis on crisis and its management. A broad literature review of the problems readily associated within the discourse is undertaken so that the definition, classification and the application of the disaster and its management cycle are appropriately contextualised in regards to the Emirati problem. The window of opportunity that the UAE has for improvement is emphasised by the findings of this paper

Temporal and spatial variation of chemical parameter concentration in drinking water resources of Bandar-e Gaz City using geographic information system

One of the serious challenges in ensuring and promoting community health is gradual increase in contamination levels of drinking water of communities across the world. The purposes of this study were (1) to evaluate the chemical quality of groundwater in the Bandar-e Gaz city and (2) to determine spatial distribution of groundwater quality parameters (total hardness (TH), chloride, nitrate and fluoride concentrations, and (3) mapping the quality of groundwater using Geographical Information System (GIS) software. In this study 20 groundwater samples were collected from 5 wells in two successive 2010–2011, in the rainy and dry seasons. Sample preparation and analysis, according to standard methods were done. Based on the findings of this study, it can be expressed that the average concentration chloride and nitrate parameters in Bandar-e Gaz drinking water is within the 1053 standard limit in Iran, except fluoride content is lower than the standard and hardness was high in majority of water sample groundwater. According to the zoning maps of groundwater, in the dry season’s nitrate and hardness concentration is greater than rainy seasonal. The data showed falling and rising trend in CL concentrations, respectively. This study indicated that all parameter within the standard except fluoride then, its necessity to addition fluoride in that’s regions population food chain and drinking water. Management of the utilization and protection greed underground waters should be as a basic principle in the planning Bandar-e Gaz city. © 2017 Desalination Publications. All rights reserved