Baladna, MME, CMC meet to resolve residents' complaint

The departments concerned at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment's (MME) Environment Affairs Sector met Wednesday with officials of Baladna Food Industries Company in the presence of the project consultant, and the Central Municipal Council (CMC) members for Al Khor and Al Thakhira in response to the complaints of Al Khor area residents about the unpleasant odours from Baladna Farm.

CMC members Abdulla Maqlad al-Muraikhi and Ali Mohamed al-Mohannadi reviewed a presentation by Baladna on the measures and procedures taken by the company to resolve the issue in the short, medium and long terms, it was explained in a statement from the MME. The company further affirmed that it has taken several steps and maintained co-ordination with the technical specialists to determine the sources of the bad odours and reduce them accordingly. The company also pointed out that a comprehensive and detailed study is being prepared to determine the causes of these odours and suggest the best technical solutions, assess and evaluate them and test the measures already taken to confirm their effectiveness. This is to arrive at the best possible ways to avoid any repetition of the problem, including a number of options such as modifying the design and using modern technology.The CMC members asked Baladna to exert more efforts to expedite the resolution of this issue, in addition to maintaining direct communication with the members of the local community at Al Khor area and the representatives to explain to them the measures taken by the company in this regard. The Environmental Affairs Sector of the MME regularly follows up the issue through regular meetings with Baladna and the inspection teams that conduct routine and surprise visits to the project to arrive at effective solutions for the issue. It also responds to the related complaints and take all the necessary procedures to address them and review the reports and studies in this regard to correct the situation.