Environmental Issues Facing the Construction Industry in the Middle East

Wherever they are located, construction industries will always face the issue of environmental factors and the way in which they are affected due to construction work. Nowhere more so, however, than in the Middle East. Due to the increasing importance being put upon environmental and sustainability issues across the Middle East (areas such as Bahrain, in particular), the construction industry is now looking to ensure that greater emphasis is placed on both the assessment and management of the risks associated with environmental liability.

 

Think fast.

In order to mitigate – or ensure effective management of – environmental liability, it is essential, firstly, that consideration is given to potential environmental factors as early on as possible. Sufficient assessment of environmental risk from the offset ensures that you are in the best possible position to face – and react to – environmental issues further down the line. Furthermore, it demonstrates essential professionalism and promotes the idea that Middle Eastern construction companies are, indeed, on par with those around the world – supported by activity such as the newly adopted Part E building regulations.      

 

Time to go green?

Mario Seneviratne, Director of Dubai-based Green Technologies, has said that if Middle Eastern industries embrace 'green building' technologies instead of conventional ones, they could "significantly help in tackling environment problems in addition to long-term financial returns". With this in mind, it is essential for construction firms to start considering the most eco-friendly ways to build, thus reducing their environmental impact and, potentially, seeing higher long-term ROI. Notably, Middle Eastern countries – and the construction firms within them - appear to be responding favourably to the idea of going green with countries such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia becoming members of the WorldGreen Building Technology Council (WGBC) that looks to ‘facilitate the global transformation of the building industry towards sustainability through market driven mechanisms’. However, the concept that greener buildings inevitably mean more costly buildings is still a myth that many firms need to dispel; with green technology increasingly becoming widely available and, more importantly, usable, it should not be long before more construction firms are open to the possibility of going green.