SANDWASHING operations in Tubli Bay will be relocated to other more suitable areas, it was announced yesterday. The Municipalities and Agriculture Ministry is currently evaluating alternative sites and will propose recommendations to the Cabinet.
The ministry along with the Central and Manama municipal councils will also invite Bapco and non-governmental organisations to participate in a general clean-up campaign at the bay's shoreline.
By early next month, independent consultants will also submit a final report on a study to improve the environment in the Ma'ameer channel that will further improve water flow in the bay.
The decisions were taken yesterday at a meeting by the steering committee in charge of tackling the environmental pollution in the bay.
During the meeting, Cabinet-appointed environmental consultants Posford Haskoning Environment Gulf presented the findings of the first phase of the bay's rehabilitation study.
Minis-try under-secretary for public works affairs and committee chairman Nayef Al Kalali said the study would be followed by recommendations by the consultants to undertake further studies.
"This will complete the preparation of all necessary facts surrounding the density and composition of the material in the bay," he said.
"Our two-phased strategic action plan comprises a number of short and long-term actions.
"These are to clean the bay and improve water flow, and a study of its ecology will indicate how to best support the natural rehabilitation of marine life as well as ensure that the bay is not subjected to further pollution."
"The ministry has already undertaken immediate action on a number of fronts. Debris and silt blocking the Ma'ameer channel outlets has been cleared to improve water flow.
"The widening of the bridge segments and culvert openings - as part of the Sitra Causeway reconstruction project - has also been completed, further enhancing water circulation.
Central Municipal Council vice-chairman Abbas Mahfoodh welcomed the measures.
"Municipal councils will also push to fully implement the law against illegal dumping in the bay and we will call for the reintroduction of patrols to monitor the area," he said.
Plans to alleviate the environmental deterioration of Tubli Bay were announced last month.
A BD1.1 million project to upgrade the sewage treatment plant was launched following a black patch of discharges from a nearby sewer surfaced at the bay in July. The Cabinet last month ordered measures to protect the bay, revive its marine life and purify it by pumping in more clean water.
aaali@gdn.com.bh
