Qeeri, Cyprus Institute present findings of joint research project

The Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (Qeeri) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) and The Cyprus Institute (Cyl) organised a seminar recently to share the findings of a joint research project simulating the atmospheric dispersion of radioactivity from potential nuclear power plant accidents in the Middle East.Several nuclear facilities are under construction or becoming operational and additional ones are planned in the region with unique seismic and climatological conditions.Scientists from The Natural and Environmental Hazards Observatory at Qeeri and the Climate and Atmosphere Research Centre at the Cyprus Institute presented the outcomes of their three year-long collaboration that developed the capability to model and forecast public health and environmental impacts in Qatar from simulated accidents.A pioneering research work in Qatar and the Gulf region, the project facilitates development of recommendations for hazard preparedness, and new-found capacity for risk management and accident response at the national strategic level.A risk assessment of atmospheric deposition and population exposure to radioactivity following hypothetical accidents at nuclear power plants was conducted as part of the project.Detailed simulations showed that in case of a nuclear accident, radionuclides can affect Doha, and more than 90% of the ground deposition of condensed radionuclides in Qatar can be expected to occur within four days. Like anywhere else in the world, the relative risk is higher during the cold period of the year by a factor of two.Representatives from Qatar’s government and public sectors, including Civil Defence, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Qatar Civil Council, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Qatar Aviation, Qatar University, and Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation, attended the event to learn about the research and discuss its applications and policy implications with the research team."During the seminar, our main focus was on how to use the developed modeling tools to support national authorities in their emergency preparedness and response plans in the event of a nuclear or other major industrial accident," said Dr Huda al-Sulaiti, senior research director of the Natural and Environmental Hazards Observatory at Qeeri."The attendees discussed important next steps and made necessary recommendations on how to further enhance the early warning systems."Dr Marc Vermeersch, executive director at Qeeri, said, "We were proud to share the results of this technical and scientific collaboration between NEHO’s team of experts and Cyl, a globally renowned institution in this field, with stakeholders from the government and public sectors. We look forward to building upon this research in future with our partners in Qatar to help develop a methodology for environmental hazard risk and vulnerability assessments in the Middle East.”