Undersecretary of Public Works Affairs at Bahrain’s Ministry of Works, Nayef Omar Al-Kalali, has highlighted the lessons learned from coastal development based on a review of a selection of top coastal projects in Bahrain and the GCC states. This was a key element of the first keynote presentation Mr Al-Kalali delivered at this year’s Urban Coastal Development Conference, which recently concluded in Abu Dhabi, UAE. His presentation was ranked in the top three overall.
According to Mr Al-Kalali taking on board the lessons from major projects is key to examining, addressing and implementing coastal and marine development principles and to mitigating challenges each project presents.
“The lessons learned from the review of a selection of the region’s major projects are key to deepening understanding and to ensuring future projects are treated with the best application to ensure sustainability in developing valuable coastal real estate,” said Mr Al-Kalali.
Lessons have been learned spanning activities across a broad range of areas. These include reclamation; design; integration and coordination; materials and techniques; habitats; coordination and integration between land and sea transition; value engineering; information management for planning purposes; decision-making; project planning and approach; master planning and zoning; accessibility; following nature’s proven phenomena; and factors to consider when creating artificial beaches.
“By applying the relevant lessons learned from these areas to specific coastal projects we can better understand and apply essential guidelines. In addition we can adopt important precautionary measures for reclamation in consideration of factors including global warming and other environmental and climactic conditions as well as ensure proper methodologies for dredging and reclamation purposes,” added Mr Al-Kalali.
Mr Al-Kalali’s presentation was titled ‘Coastal Developments in the Arabian Gulf’. It also included overviews of dredging and land reclamation in the Kingdom of Bahrain as well as of a Dredging and Land Reclamation Technical Manual which is currently being used in the Kingdom for coastal development projects including offshore islands. Functional design principles and guidelines within the context of integrated coastal zone management and marine spatial planning were also featured.
As a key contributor to the development of Bahrain the Ministry of Works’ contribution to all economic, social and cultural sectors in the Kingdom includes caring and striving to protect the environment. According to Mr Al-Kalali, the topics discussed during the event were significant for the region given increasing demand and development activity that is currently taking place throughout coastal areas of the Arabian Gulf.
“Satisfying demand and harnessing sustainable economic benefits resulting from coastal development must be achieved by balancing technical and environmental considerations as this will help us to safeguard our region for present and future generations. In our role as the construction arm of the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain the Ministry of Works is committed to providing our services while taking into account their environmental impact and by participating in events such as this summit we are able to contribute towards the desire to achieve this balance and respect the environment,” concluded Mr Al-Kalali.
The event targeted the concerns of key decision-makers and influencers in the construction market, catering to the needs of developers, regulators, main contractors and consultants.
“We are delighted to have participation from the Ministry of Works at this important summit. H.E. Nayef Al Kalali was a driving force throughout the event, not only providing a superb keynote opening with an overview of developments across the region but also always asking key questions and sharing his experience and knowledge following the other presentations,” added James Plotnek, Conference Director of Defence, a division of IQPC, organizer of the event.
More information can be found at www.urbancoastaldevelopment.com. A copy of Mr Al-Kalali’s presentation can also be downloaded by:
1. Logging on to www.iqpcdubai.com
2. Selecting ‘Urban Coastal Development Summit 2009’ on the home page under latest events
3. Downloading the presentation using the case sensitive password UrbanCoastal2009
