Air pollution in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Problems

• Air pollution in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

  Riyadh is one of the most developed cities in the world, with more than a thousand times its area and a population that has multiplied by about two hundred times since the city was founded. Services and cultural opportunities have increased in a way that is comparable to many of today's large cities.

• Sources of pollution

  But Riyadh, like other major cities, suffers from environmental pollution, especially air pollution. 
  
  Common air pollutants in Riyadh come from the following sources:
  
  ● Types of transportation, such as automobiles, especially those that run on diesel fuel.
  ● Industries such as the chemical industry and cement plants, can pollute the air with the combustion products of the fuels needed for these industries, or the waste from these industries.
  ● Disposal of human and industrial waste by incineration or reuse.
  ● Dust, which sometimes occurs during certain months of the year.
  ● Power plants.
  
  Most likely the most important air pollutants in the city of Riyadh are:
  
  ● Carbon oxides, including carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons.
  ● Nitrogen oxides.
  ● Fine particles, which include dust, ash, smoke, and soot, as well as fine particles of certain metals such as cadmium, copper, lead, zinc, and mercury. And so on.

• Seasonality of Pollution

  Some environmentalists and those interested in environmental issues have noted the presence of smoke over the city of Riyadh on certain days and seasons of the year, especially in the summer. This occurs as a result of the formation and accumulation of gaseous pollutants suspended in the air, as well as from the exhausts of cars, especially those that run on diesel fuel, and cars that emit large amounts of pollutants due to lack of regular maintenance.

• Health effects

  There is no doubt that there are many adverse effects to inhaling air contaminated with many harmful oxides, directly or indirectly. Air pollutants have a bad effect on the health of people, especially children and the elderly, many of whom develop respiratory diseases. But some people are not aware of the role pollution plays in causing them.
  
   Fine particles alone or in combination with other air pollutants affect the respiratory system, causing bronchitis, asthma, emphysema, coughing, shortness of breath, and increased eye disease.
  
  Air pollutant emissions in some parts of Riyadh have increased recently. Many residents in the east and south of the capital have begun to complain of increased respiratory problems resulting from pollutant emissions, and many have had to go to hospitals for relief from shortness of breath, allergies, asthma, and several other conditions.
  
   Pollutants enter the human body in different ways. Sometimes they are sensed as strange chemical odors, and other times, pollutant particles make nasal breathing difficult and cause shortness of breath.  The distribution of pollutants throughout the city is also not uniform.  
  
  In some areas, residents complain of smells of burning materials and waste in the early morning hours. This phenomenon spreads over large areas but persists for a short time. Brown or blue fumes are also visible in some parts of the city and its main roads.

• What the WHO says

  Riyadh's air was the most polluted in the Kingdom and the Arab world, according to the latest data from the World Health Organization. According to the organization, the capital city ranks fourth in the world for concentrations of fine particulate pollution and seventh for concentrations of large particulate pollution. Riyadh's annual air pollution rates are 15 times higher than what the World Health Organization says is safe. Poor air quality in any area hurts the region's environment and the health of residents. For example, there are reports of an increase in asthma cases among children in the Kingdom, with one in three children in schools suffering from asthma.
  
  Data on air quality in Riyadh and other cities are sounding the alarm about the worsening air pollution dilemma, and this calls for decisive and swift action to reduce emissions of harmful gases. The environmental authorities have a moral obligation to the public, especially those suffering from harmful emissions effects. They must implement policies to reduce emissions, increase the collection and dissemination of data on air pollutants, and issue warnings on levels and concentrations of pollutants to help the public reduce their health risks.
  
  The health and cleanliness of the city of Riyadh are at risk, and it requires a series of standards, awareness campaigns, government initiatives, and civil society organizations to achieve a thriving environment.