Singaporean Deputy PM Visits Qatar's Domestic Solid Waste Management Centre

Doha, March 15 (QNA) - Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister for National Security, and Minister for Home Affairs HE Teo Chee Hean has visited Thursday Qatar's Domestic Solid Waste Management Centre (DSWMC) operated by the Ministry of Environment. During his visit, Teo Chee Hean attended a comprehensive lecture by Jeoffrey Aie, Head of Keppel Seghers, the Singaporean firm in Qatar which runs the centre, which addressed the centre's role in waste management. The Singaporean Deputy PM toured the most important waste treatment stations and control rooms as he listened to commentary by specialists over the different phases of waste management accompanied by HE Dr. Mohamed Saif Al-Kuwari, the Assistant Undersecretary for Laboratories and Metrology Affairs at the Ministry of Environment, Salah Al-Rumaihi, the Director of Central Laboratories at the Ministry, and Abdulaziz Al-Malki from the Waste Management Centre. At the conclusion of his visit, Teo Chee Hean praised the Qatari government's will to build this vital centre, which is the first of its kind in waste management in the Middle East region. Teo Chee Hean also pointed out the great development that Qatar has been witnessing in all fields, indicating that this centre represents the strong and sound will exercised by Qatar's wise leadership towards an all-encompassing advancement, particularly in the environmental and waste treatment fields. The Singaporean official expressed his delight with visiting the large-scale project, which he described as "pioneering and exemplary" indicating that the centre's development reaps many benefits to Qatar as its treats different types of waste through the latest technologies. From his part, Dr. Al-Kuwari spoke on behalf of Qatar Ministry of Environment, praising the great partnership between Qatar and Singapore in the environmental field and expressed hopes that it evolves into common good for both countries and their mutual interests, particularly through information and expertise exchanges in the waste management field. "We recognize the importance of setting research and studies between the two countries and taking advantage of the advanced Singaporean expertise in waste management and other environmental fields," he added and voiced hopes for enrolling Qatari calibers in specialized training sessions in such projects, which brings major benefits to Qatar in the field. Dr. Al-Kuwari expressed on behalf of H.E. Abdullah bin Mubarak Moudadi, the Minister of Environment, sincere thanks to the Singaporean Deputy PM and presented him with a sculpture of the Arabian Oryx as a symbolic gift which represents Qatar's environment. Additionally, AbdulAziz Al-Malki from the Ministry's Waste Management Centre indicated that the DSWMC's operations began on Oct. 16, 2011 and have been entirely supervised by the ministry. He explained that the centre encompasses the biggest fertilizer factory in the world in addition to the waste recipient area which selectively sorts material with the newest technologies. Al-Malki clarified that organic material is separated in the first phase and sent to the factory to be turned into fertilizer. During the second phase, the other primary components like glass, plastic, aluminum, among others are recycled and the rest is sent to the furnace to be burnt using modern methods which do not harm the environment to make use of the resulting steam in generating electricity. (QNA)