Bahrain
Input to Questionnaire on issues relating to the environmental effected related to waste originating from chemical munitions dumped at sea
REPLY TO QUESTIONNAIRE
1. WOCMDS can be a big threat to the fragile environmental resources as Bahrain is a small island country and its marine flora and fauna can be greatly affected in case of any controlled or un-controlled dumping and disposal. The Arabian Gulf area and its territories are considered as special zone ( MARPOL 73/78 ) in which no pollution is allowed due to movement of major oil related tankers. The fisheries are one of the important employment channel which involves lot of fishermen who earn their livings from the sea and its products. Any disposal of WOCMDS will pose a great threat to already vulnerable pollution situation.
2. So far no researches have been done and conducted on WOCMDS due to lack of funding and technical resources. No concrete findings are available.
3. The country so far has not been the target of any indiscriminate or illegal incidents related to WOCMDS. Thus, no pertinent experience is available for combating and responding to such incidents.
4. The country does not have any response system and capacity to respond to any incidents related to WOCMDS.
5. We are planning to develop an Action Plan and enhance local capacities and capabilities in responding to incidents related to WOCMDS.
6. As mentioned above, we are in the planning phase of developing an Action Plan, thus at present no information is provided to the civil society and industry. Once the plan is finalized and approved and required financing and resources are available, awareness will be created and necessary information will be disseminated to the stakeholders.
7. The Government is in active partnership with the industry and civil society on a number of local infrastructure, development and environmental issues. The partnership on WOCMDS will only be developed after preparation of Action Plan and strategy based on allocated resources and budget.
8. The Kingdom of Bahrain is part of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and plays a key role in the region with active partnership on all issues concerning environment and pollution. International organizations are also being contacted for providing expert services and training in state-of-the-art technologies and equipment. The same channels will be utilized, once the Action Plan is approved and implemented.
9. In our opinion, international cooperation on WOCMDS is very important and we foresee that assistance will be provided in enhancing the knowledge on the subject as well as imparting training to the key staff. Lessons learned by international organizations will also be reviewed to help in formulation of practical plans that can be implemented. Participation in regional and international conferences and workshops will also enhance the skills of local personnel who are and will be involved in WOCMDS.
