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A massive project to pump much needed oxygen into Tubli Bay and its surroundings is set to start soon.
The Ma’ameer channel will be expanded in a bid to reduce pollution and avert mass fish deaths which have been a regular occurrence during the past one year.
Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Minister Essam Khalaf yesterday revealed that five bidders have come forward through the Auctions and Tender Board to carry out an expansion of the channel, south of the bay, with the lowest bid being BD520,000 and the highest BD2.5 million.
The bids would be evaluated before the best is selected with several projects currently in the pipeline under a multi-million bay protection plan, he said.
The channel will be expanded by 750m in length and 180m in width with depth being around two metres, said Mr Khalaf.
“We are looking to improve circulation from the southern side of the bay and the expansion of the channel will see more water currents.
“It’s part of a string of projects earmarked for Tubli Bay,” Mr Khalaf said.
The minister toured the site yesterday with MP Ammar Al Mukhtar. Several new, maintenance and remodelling projects were also discussed.
“The bay is protected under the 2006 Tubli Bay Protection act, and despite that it has seen reclamation and disregard to the marine life and fish there,” said Mr Al Mukhtar.
“The ministry is working to help restore the place and end fish deaths.
“Expansion of the channel is a step forward and it needs to be fast-tracked to ensure that clean water circulates.
“People are asking if remaining fish stocks in the area are tainted and there is no answer.”
The Cabinet ordered an environmental assessment of Ma’ameer and the surrounding areas in June.
The study focuses on air quality and emissions by factories and industrial establishments, and will come up with solutions to limit pollution threatening the safety and well-being of citizens and residents.
The Cabinet also demanded work be speeded up on widening the Ma’ameer water channel to allow better circulation in Tubli Bay.
The assessment follows an investigation completed at the end of April that showed red tide and an increase in pollutants led to thousands of dead fish washing ashore in Ma’ameer and Eker.
Videos circulating on social media regularly showed small dead fish washing ashore on the coasts of both villages.
Initial probe by the Supreme Council for Environment (SCE) stated that the fish died from red tide, which is a phenomenon caused by algal blooms as they deplete oxygen and release toxins into water.
The SCE also found an increase in pollutants like ammonia and faecal bacteria, which it attributed to sewage dumping.
Mr Al Mukhtar and other MPs had earlier called for relocation of factories from the area as they have worsened the situation.
mohammed@gdn.com.bh
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