7407 ENG Environmental Management Systems
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
Planning:
- Meet energy and water resource demand in the camp.
- Introduce renewable energy resources, equipment and training to the refugees to fulfill their energy demand.
- We will try to maintain and follow the legal requirements required to implement the EMS in Jordan.
- Reduce the waste water impacts by recycling and also meet the water demand by reusing it.
Practices:
- Develop environmental friendly practices
- Utilize resources to minimize amount of waste and combat against pollution.
- Follow ISO 14001 principles and other environmental management systems.
- Review the activities of the plant to check the efficiency the pollution minimization.
- Implement activities to improve environmental performance.
- Set up fire protection, emergency and security system facilities to prevent hazards.
People:
- Provide training to the staff and refugee for better operation of the systems.
- Employ EMS and facility manager to coordinate the well-functioning of the activities implemented in the camp.
- INTRODUCTION
1.1 JORDAN: Present Environmental Status
Jordan is one of the effective developing countries in the Middle East. Factors like political conditions, weather changes, development in industries, increasing refugees and urbanization have made the environment protection to be in an unfavorable factor in the country. The supply of resources has also seen a steady decrease over the last two or three years. The financial crisis is also making the country to decrease their income of essential resource. Water scarcity is increasingly seen in the country. The ground waters are used highly for the agricultural purposes, consuming almost 70% of the pumped water. Moreover, the population of the country also has got increased, almost double the population comparing to that of 20 years back. Many water sources like Al zagra basin, are prone to dry out in the coming years. So there will be a need of water sources for making the drought conditions in a lesser way (Palo, 2014).
1.2 Zaatari Camp
Jordan has opened their doors to many refugees, and the Zaatari refugee camp has now become the largest refugee camp in the world, which hosts more than 120000 refugees at present. It has now become the responsible of the Jordanian government who are providing these refugees with free healthcare and learning. Like city, there are 25000 shelters, 3000 shops and about 850 food outlets in the camp area (Palo, 2014).
The camp area selected for the Zaatari camp has been previously being used for animal grazing and the olive cultivation. The camp covers in total about 9 km2 and located 10 km east of the marfraq city and 14 km south of the Syrian border. The increase in the agricultural activities and population has made the land area degraded for the meeting the sufficient needs of the people. The agricultural works are totally depended on irrigation and pump water from the wells, the crops of fast cultivation has been allowed in this area. Let’s have a clear look on to the map of Zaatari Camp.
Figure 1. Geographical map of Zaatari Camp (DLR 2014)
The basic needs of the refugees are mainly obtained through assuring the proper supply of water sources, improvement in sanitation facilities and hygiene factors. Currently 27101 shelters, 412 holding tanks, around 400 WASH blocks, 2500 toilets and about 1300 water tanks are providing basic support. Moreover, the sludge is transported to Al-Akeider sewage plant in Irbid. The soil exposed in the camp gives very low infiltration rate which makes water standing in low areas of the camp. This together with spill from private sanitation increases the risk for diseases such as diarrhea and gives an unpleasant muddy ground during rains (Farishta 2014).
Water and hydrological condition:
Jordan found groundwater aquifer resources from rainfall and 92% of Jordan gets less than 100mm rainfall per year. Lack of sewage system and use of private pits as well as solution for sanitation makes weakens aquifer system. In corporation of UNICEF and ACTED supplies 35L/day/person of water to the camp. Losses during supply mixing of sewage water due to overflow and flood are the main problem interrupt water demand in the camp. Awareness program about handling and maintenance is an idea to avoid over usage and conserve water resources for camp.
Energy sector:
Energy for camp gets in forms of diesel generators, gas, national grit and solar energy. There is illegal connection going on, which is able to cause risk to electrical equipment and refugee population. Wind, solar or biogas or combination of both is an appropriate option to meet energy demand of the camp. Organic waste and dry sanitation solutions for biogas will reduce waste problems and solve energy scarcity (Palo Thomas, 2014).
- INITIAL ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
| Aspects | Impacts
|
Likelihood/ Frequency
A:Almost certain/daily B: Likely/weekly C: Rare/monthly
|
Legislative Requirement
|
Consequences/ Effects
1: Catastrophic 2: Major 3: Moderate 4: Minor 5: Insignificant |
Risk Rating
Extreme High Medium Low |
Significant
YES NO |
| Use of electricity | Generation of greenhouse gases, Depletion of natural resources | A | Yes(Art.5) | 3 | High | Yes |
| Emissions from the energy resources | Ozone depletion, toxic gases such as CO, NO2 are released | A | Yes(Art.5) | 2 | Extreme | Yes |
| Excessive water usage | Depletion of natural resources, using the water for cleaning, washing the clothes etc. will reduce their availability | A | Yes(Art.25) | 3 | High | Yes |
| Waste water Generation | Pollutes the land, gets mixed with available water sources and pollutes it | A | Yes(Art.25) | 2 | Extreme | Yes |
|
Solid waste generation |
Use of landfill, atmospheric releases of toxic elements |
A |
Yes(Art.25) |
2 |
High |
Yes |
| Transportation of drinking water | Water leakage, fuel depletion, generation of greenhouse gases, pollution of water sources | B | Yes (Art.9) | 3 | High | Yes
|
| Use of chemicals | Pollution of water sources | A | Yes(Art.6) | 4 | Medium | Yes |
| Day to day life activities, furniture handling and sand storm | Dust and airborne substances can affect the local air quality | A | Yes(Art.5) | 4 | High | Yes |
| Reuse and recycle of used products | Reduces the depletion of natural resources | C | N | 5 | Low | No |
| usage of vehicles and other machines | Depletion of fuel, noise pollution, releases toxic gases. | A | N | 3 | High | No |
(EPL no.52, 2006)
- ENIVIRONMENTAL ACTION PLAN (EAP)
Objective: OBJ1 – Water Resource from waste water
Targets:
1- OBJ1-T1: Recycling 50% of waste water by 16 April 2016 from the baseline of 12
Jan2014.
2- OBJ1-T2: Reduce the amount of waste water discharge by 15% by 12 Nov 2016 from the baseline of waste water consumption 12 Jan 2014.
3- OBJ1-T3: Reduce water losses during transportation by 50% by 7 May 2017 from the baseline of 12 Jan 2014.
Action Plan
Title: Waste water recycling
Objective: OBJ1
Target: OBJ1-T1
Impact: Water Pollution and spreading of pathogenic organisms
Key Indicator: Amount of waste water produced per month
Action
- Develop waste water recycling plant by 6 Jan 2016.
- Provide awareness program in community to let the waste water free from solid waste such as nappies, cloth and toys etc.
- Construct collection system of grey water.
- Monitor the working of the plant by checking the parameters and operation.
Records
R1-OBJ1-T1: Number of available water sources in the camp.
R2-OBJ1-T2: The total waste water generated per day (pp)
R3-OBJ1-T3: The amount of water lost during transportation
Records have to be stored in the suitable format and update on over a specific period of time. Backups must be clearly marked with the date last updated. The facilities manager is responsible for entering and up keeping of the records.
Only the EMS-manager has the authority to update or correct a record.
An off-site monthly backup must be kept in a secure place outside the camp.
Resources
Water discharge fee @ $0.07/m3: $210,000/ month
Electricity Fee: $51000 / month
Chemical Fee: PAC and Cl2 -$99000
Sludge transport and disposal: solid content, $2000/ton
Maintenance and replacement cost: yearly 1% of total construction cost
Facilities manager: 12 hrs. Per week: $20 per hr.
Staff cost: 24 staff, average $12per hr.
Compute facilities and Internet: $5000 (Cost water, n.d,)
Responsibilities
The management level and the authorities will be taking a special note on the performance of plant and provide the resources and train the workers and staff for an effective output of work.
The cause of the loss of water during transportation has to be analysed and remedial steps needs to be taken to avoid it.
The records of each work will be noted by the facilities manager and required steps has to be taken in case of any failure occurs in the treatment plant.
Review
The review of the work completed will be done in every month. The target raised over and the progress should be properly analysed and effective steps has to be taken if necessary.
At the time of review, all the records have to be updated with the progress achieved.
Training Requirements
Skilled labours have to be there and strong management principles should be followed for achieving the objective and targets.
Training and orientation is important for the workers to perform effectively so that the plant
Workers will have an opportunity to attend the workshops to improve their skill and knowledge.
The drivers of the truck which transport the water will be given more training in handling and the trucks will be modified for preventing the leakage of water.
Abnormal Operations and Emergency preparedness
In-proper usage of water treatment plant can lead to various problems. The hazards caused during can be very dangerous and severe, so proper maintenance and checking will be done in the plant. Some of the problems of the plant are:
- Fire
- Over Flow
- Short circuit in the Electricity
- Chemical Handling
A Fire extinguisher type A would be there in the working areas of the plant.
Workers must be given training in using the fire extinguisher, demo fire operations have to be done occasionally.
Electric supply in the plant and surrounding areas should be checked and in case of any damage, the workers must report it as soon as possible.
Handling of chemicals has to be done with proper precautions and safety procedures have to be followed accordingly.
Overflow can also be a problem both in plant and also during transportation, so proper awareness and instructions must be given.
Design and working Process of treatment plant
With the amount of the pollutant that is removed and the mechanisms (Physical, chemical and biological) applied, the wastewater treatment is meant as primary, secondary, or tertiary. The primary treatment involves mainly the physical process such as settling or skimming through which large quantities of the organic and inorganic solids are separated from wastewater. Next, the secondary treatment is basically separating fine suspended solids, oil, forth and grease by biological process and converting them in to sludge. The processes such as Volatilization, biodegradation, and incorporation are involved in the secondary treatment and also these methods satisfy the oxygen demand of the pollutant(s) (EPA, 2008).
The following steps will give a clear description about the design of treatment plant and the working involved in the system.
- Once the primary and secondary treatments are over, then the wastewater is pumped into the advanced tertiary treatment plant.
- Ozone will be added to the wastewater for reducing colour and bad smell.
- During the secondary treatment, in order to remove the sludge we implement the physical filter to filter residual wastes. These filters actually consist of microbes or bacteria which help in reducing the bad odour substances such as ammonia.
- Now From the disinfection tanks, the ultraviolet light is being applied for the next level of purification for the wastewater passing through extensive vessels.
- Next, the treated water is carried over into two huge basins, where we use chlorine as the last disinfecting procedure.
- Finally, the water is completely recycled and having good quality which can be transported to the refugee camp through pipelines (Wastewater Reuse, 2014).
Objective:
OBJ2 – Increasing share of renewable energy resources for cooking purposes
Targets:
1- OBJ2-T1: Install solar cooking and PV cells for lightening by 35% by 21 Dec 2017 from the baseline of electricity demand 12 Jan 2014.
2- OBJ2-T2: Increase the share of biogas for cooking from municipal solid waste by 40% by 17 March 2017 from the baseline of 12 Jan 2014.
Action Plan
Title: Meet energy demand of the camp through renewable energy resources
Objective: OBJ1
Target: OBJ1-T1
Impact: it will help to eliminate the risk of accident from improper use of energy from street lightening.
Key Indicator: Energy demand per month of the camp.
Action
1- Install 35% of the solar cooking devices such as by 10 Dec 2016.
2- Install 100 biogas digester plant by 10 Dec 2016.
3- Give awareness to community by conducting workshops about solar and biogas cooking benefits.
4- Train the community to use solar and biogas cooking.
5- Evaluate the solar cookers, biogas cooking and LPG stoves use.
Records
R1-OBJ2-T1: Number of other cooking devices used after the solar energy installation (units).
R2-OBJ2-T2: Quantity of biogas users.
R3-OBJ2-T1: Occupancy rate and amount of users of solar cooker.
All of the records converted into digital format and entered in weekly basis to keep for 3 years. Facility manager is the one who is responsible for doing all this and EMS- manager correct and update the document.
Resources
2000 units of solar cookers @ $410/unit = $820000
100 units of biogas digestor @ $75/unit = $7500
Facilities manager: 10 hr. per week @ $20 per hr. = $200
Paper and other forms = $30
Laptop computer = $750
External hard-drive for record backup = $10
Trainers 3 ppl x 10 hr./wk. x $25
Responsibilities
The EMS-Manager make resources and training available to succeed the program.
Facilities manager take care of record keeping and equipment maintenance.
Review
This plan supposed to review quarterly.
Training Requirements
Community workshops and demonstration of the correct use of the solar cooker and biogas digester will be provided to all users.
Clear instructions about the correct use are posted on each solar cooker and biogas digester.
Abnormal Operations and Emergency preparedness
Following hazards may happen form incorrect use of solar cookers and biogas plant:
1- Fire
2- Glaring
3- Skin burns
Type A fire extinguisher kept near to the cooking facility to use at the time fire and train them to use it.
Sun cream provided to use at the time of going outside.
- CONCLUSIONS
Zataari refugee camp is the second largest refugee camp in the world. There are several environmental problems in the camp that affects human health and surrounding environment. This report demonstrate solutions for two significant environmental aspects by following standards of ISO 14001 and procedures of Environmental policy, Planning, Implementation and operation, checking, Management review and continual improvement and followed to develop an Environmental Management Systems in Zataari refugee camp. We implement new developmental plan through the use sustainable environmental techniques such as use of renewable energy resources and recycle and reuse.
REFRENCES
-Cost water n.d, viewed 20th October 2014, “Water treatment plant construction cost”
http://www.costwater.com/runningcostwater.htm
-Department of Environment, n.d, Registers, viewed 20th October 2014,
-DLR 2014, ‘Elevation Map – Jordan – Camp Al Zaatari’, image
http://www.zki.dlr.de/map/2280
– EPA 2008, viewed 10 October 2014, “wastewater management” http://www.epa.gov/tribalcompliance/wwater/wwwastedrill.html
– Farishta A, 2014, ‘The impact of Syrian refugees on Jordan’s water resources and water management planning’, Columbia University, N.Y.
– Headworks BIO: Wastewater Reuse 2014, viewed 26 October 2014,
http://www.headworksinternational.com/biological-wastewater-treatment/wastewater-reuse.aspx
– ISO 14001:2004,
– Ministry of Environment, 2013, Environmental protection law no. 52 of 2006, http://www.moenv.gov.jo/En/LegislationAndPolicies/Legislation/Regulations/Pages/EnvironmentalProtectionLaw.aspx#
– Thomas Palo, January 20 2014, ‘Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment, of the Zaatari camp, Jordan Towards a green response’, prepared for UNHCR, Amman, Jordan.
– University Of Sunderland, viewed 26th October 2014, Environmental Aspects and Impacts Register (SUMMARY),
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