asdd-blog is open to your experience, good or bad ones to share and to see if you caputred nice photo… not only for engineering where the blog is the personal side of asdd-engineering.com and its members…

First of all, I would like to clarify that the purpose of this article is to register a case regarding ignoring human rights. I have reserved a first class ticket to UAE-Dubai and I confirmed over phone with their local embassy at Doha that since I am civil engineer written on the passport and residency holding a Palestinian passport not the document I will get the visa at the airport. Also, I have been personally at Dubai last October and yes I got the visa same way.

However, once I landed I applied and they let me wait in their offices for more than 3 hours (11:00pm – 2:00am) and then they took me through the airport corridors with many other people who looks like criminals I guess and the two Emirati officers were making fun of me for no clear reason. Later I am surprised my visa was rejected by the immigration without any clear reason and I must be departed at the earliest from Dubai. I talked to them and explain what their embassy at Doha confirmed to me and I showed them my previous entry for Dubai and Abu-Dhabi.

I canceled my hotel reservation and accepted that strange fact, so I told them I will re-schedule my return with Qatar airways office to be at the earliest since I am first class passenger and I will wait at first class lounge. They said you cannot go anywhere you have to stay here. It’s a dirty place full of people who are either criminals or illegal immigrates. I could do nothing and spend one bad night in a very bad condition where there is no water, food, bathroom, or a place to rest and Emirati officer were making jokes on people. I could not sleep and I told them I have to drink water in order to avoid being dehydrated since I am still in rehab from kidney stone he said go away.

Honestly, it was a terrible night with lot of losses with no clear reason; however, I would like to thank Qatar Airways officer at the airport who tried to know why did that happen, but no one gave a dam.
Qatar Airways I appreciate your services from top to bottom and really you proved that you are 5 stars airways…

Airport for any country is the first interface which will give the first impression. The people who work at the airport should be the best example to present the country values. However, this time is the last in my life to visit UAE for any reasons since this is the first interaction between me and Emirati people airport officers who showed me a very bad example where I am sure there are other good examples somewhere! I canceled and ceased all deals or partnership with UAE companies/organizations.

Just to emphasize on one thing, I am not against Emirati people, but it was really very bad experience with no clear reason and unfortunately I have seen the bad examples.

Ahmed Dalloul (Site Founder)

The Waste Treatment Centre in UmmSaieed Qatar is the first integrated waste management plant in the Middle East. It is expected to accommodate around 1000 trucks per day of paper, plastic, metal and other domestic waste, some of which is to be recycled and other which will be incinerated for the purpose of generating electricity. Organic waste will be composted to produce soil conditioner and natural gas.

The waste treatment centre was designed, built and to be operated by Keppel Seghers Engineering Singapore Pte Ltd.

 COWI had been appointed as the environmental consultant to carry out the impact assessment. The impact assessment comprised investigation, analysis and producing of an environmental Impact Assessment EIA for Qatar’s first waste treatment centre.

And since the environmental impact assessment is the first of its kind in the Middle East; the question remains: How can an environmentally proactive project be assessed against its potential environmental impacts?

 To answer this question and many more I met with the Head of Department Pollution Prevention, Sustainability and Risk Management in Denmark Mr. Klaus Winther Ringgaard who was in charge of the Impact Assessment of the waste treatment centre.

 What were the objectives of the Impact Assessment COWI carried out for the waste treatment plant?

 The objectives of the Impact Assessment were to evaluate the positive and negative impacts of the waste, calculating the CO2 reductions by comparing the baseline levels to the levels anticipated after commissioning the project, and point out potential areas of improvement.

 What were the impacts which were considered ‘Major Impacts’ of the project?

 Negative impacts were insignificant considering the location chosen for the project. The most sensitive receptor is the groundwater beneath the site which was studied using groundwater modelling and the appropriate mitigation measures were implemented to prevent groundwater contamination.

Other potential negative impacts such as emissions are controlled by mitigation measures.

 The major positive impact was the reduction of CO2 by several tonnes. Other positive impacts were the use of incinerated waste to generate electricity to the grid and therefore save raw material consumption such as oil and gas, and recycling of waste materials which also saves the consumption of raw material such as sand, gravel, plastic, aluminiumand paper.

 One of the social positive impacts is the educational centre at the waste treatment centre which is meant to spread awareness about the importance of utilising waste as a resource.

 The waste treatment centre has more positive impacts than negative ones.

 What are the future environmental monitoring plans in the waste treatment centre?

 The mitigation measures are built into the monitoring programme implemented in the waste treatment centre. The monitoring programmes are meant to verify the anticipated impacts of the project, and the performance of the mitigation measures in meeting the targets planned.

 The monitoring programmes are basically technological equipment to monitor the various emissions to the environment, alert in the event of a leak, and are programmed for emergency response.

Project Qatar 2010 is one of the largest gathering for construction business parties relatively to Qatar market size.

It was clear how the crisis is still hitting the construction sector; however, value engineering and saving in construction waste and being green becomes more important than before.

Alternative ways of constructions were presented in a practical ways in order to convenience the investors of how much saving they can achieve in terms of money and time… However, quality was lost in this exhibition in most of products shown…

In general, the exhibition has its pluses and minus where parking and leaking were really bad for such big show!!!!!

asdd-team met some of international partners who were happy with the fast, solid progress the site went through over small period of time. asdd-team introduce them to some VIPs and to the right people who are going to initiate a business relationship at Qatar.

3 partners describe asddeng as the right vehicle to get projects and build a good business in this region. One advertiser said ” I have spent $5000 on other media channels where I paid only $3000/month to place the logo on asddeng and I got a deal of more than $35,000… where I was targeting the right audience not everybody!”

We leave you with some of captured photos during asdd-team round…

Qatar Society of Engineers (QSE) arranged a technical seminar on Highway design & Planning at Qatar.

The seminar was attended by many engineers from both sectors (private – and public) from all parties such as consultants, contractors, and suppliers.

asdd-team attended the seminar at the new venue (Cultural Village Building No.15) where have seen many asdd-members and other top people from traffic sector…

Special thanks to Eng.Ahmed Al-Jolo (Chairman of QSE) for the unlimited support he is giving to QSE and Eng.Tarik Al-Kater (Member in the Board of Director). They are really giving the QSE a new shape and a new direction as well…

Here are some photos from the seminar…

Bentley Software a leading software solutions provider/developer for engineering disciplines conducted a series of seminar in teh GCC countries and the last one was at Doha 7th April 2010 presenting their STAADPro & RAM and how STAADPro is now compatible with EuroCode…

asdd-founder visited the seminar and here is some photo of asddeng great partner Bentley Software…

Flying over Iceland 2, originally uploaded by sophieatkinson.

This great capture was taken by Sophie Atkinson one of the best asdd-flickr Manager.

The photo shows how nature is beautiful; however, think green to keep such view for other generations clear and clean…

Special thanks for Sophie who allowed such great capture to be on asdd-engineering.com flickr group!…

My blue Rose, originally uploaded by Bibi015.

A great Capture for the Blue Rose taken by BiBi015 on flickr and the photos can be seen on asdd-flickr (http://www.flickr.com/groups/asddeng

asdd-flickr combines the art – enigneering – Nature beauty to give a sweet balance…

Great Capture…

This year in Qatar international real estate exhibition, asdd-engineering.com was there with a stand to get connected with people physically where this time the market and people as well understood what is asdd? and now they need to know how they can get involved and get benefit as well…

In the exhibition, we announce about the e-learning panel, and the online support over the net. Moreover, the site founder was there himself taking each single notes, comments and suggestions to improve the site and its contents where many partnership were developed or initiated during the exhibition.

In spite of that, it was clear how the financial crisis was affecting everybody either small company or large organization. The exhibition was an opportunity to discuss the possibilities to get out of that with minimum losses.

We leave you with collection of selected photos from Q-Rex 2010…

Qatar Society of  Engineers conducted a lecture at Diplomatic Club on 23rd Feb 2010 titled as ” Managing Major Civil Repairs at Petrochemical Plants” presented by Eng. Ibrahim Al-Sulaiti.

The seminar was sponsored by COWI ( A leading international Consultant Office) represented by the Managing Director Eng.Len Hurst (www.cowi.com)

Special thanks to Eng.Ahmed Al-Jolo, Eng.Ibrahim Al-Sulaiti, and Eng.Len Husrt…

Download a summry from here