Ministry of Municipal & Rural Affairs, Saudi Arabia

Study of Integrating Modernized Technologies in Cleaning Services

5 Capitals was engaged as part of an advisory team appointed to examine options for improving the efficiency of municipal cleaning and waste collection services within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia via improvements in the application of technology solutions. A particular focus was on the need to reduce the use of unskilled labour, and to increase opportunities for engagement of Saudi Nationals in the labour force.

The project encompassed an extensive review of existing practices, which were benchmarked against international practices to identify key variations in both service approach and the outcomes experienced. Where gaps were identified, the potential for application of technology solutions to bridge these gaps was examined. From this a series of technology options were identified.

Once identified the technology options were subject to a rigorous Cost Benefit Analysis, with those performing best subject to an additional simulation analysis. This simulation examined the impact of application of the proposed technologies on a real life contract area, simulating the impact on a range of factors, including labour requirements, capital expenditure requirements, and service outcomes. The simulation exercise was further subject to a comprehensive sensitivity analysis to test the robustness of its findings.

Developments to the service framework required to support the implementation of the preferred options were developed and put forward as a final deliverable of the engagement. These included development of revised contract frameworks, and specification of technical standards and capacity building required to enable further development.

EMAAREC commissioned 5 Capitals Environmental and Management Consultancy in 2008 to undertake a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the City based on the preliminary Masterplan. This was consistent with EMAAREC’s aim for the integration of environmental issues in the overall design and development of KAEC.

5 Capitals led a team of World Class experts to prepare the SEA for KAEC. Best international practice in city-wide SEA was reviewed, an extensive study of the Environmental and Social baseline was undertaken, the environmental impacts of the city development stages were modelled under different scenarios, impacts were assessed against environmental standards, international benchmarks and the city’s objectives, and mitigation measures in the form of planning tools were developed. The following list highlights the quality and scope of the studies undertaken as part of the SEA for KAEC:

  • 120 Air Quality Samples over a 6 month programme
  • 200 hours of Marine Diving at 150 sites
  • 100 Marine Water and Sediment Samples
  • 24 km bathymetric survey of the coastline
  • 2000 laboratory analyses in UK, Bahrain, KSA and UAE
  • 9 month of air and water modelling in the USA, UK and UAE

As part of the Strategic Environmental Assessment, Planning Tools were developed to provide mitigation of the identified environmental impacts. These Planning Tools were based on a proactive approach, considering that pollution prevention is a more cost-effective and sustainable than remediation. Each planning tool differed according to the topic covered, but all of them include an overview of International Best Practice and specific steps to be implemented by the different actors to mitigate environmental impacts. The Planning Tools included the following:

  • Environmental Screening Form
  • Contractor’s Guidelines
  • Air Emissions Management
  • Noise And Vibration Management
  • Electromagnetic Field
  • Marine Environment Management
  • Canals And Surface Water Management
  • Groundwater Protection
  • Dredging Guidelines
  • Harbour Management
  • Wastewater Management
  • Solid Waste Management
  • Nature Conservation
  • Landscaping Management
  • Integrated Pest Management
  • Archaeology And Cultural Resources
  • Travel Planning
  • Green Building Design
  • Energy Efficiency For Buildings.

5 Capitals has continued to support EMAAREC as its Environmental Advisor, developing EIA Guidelines, Environmental Guidelines for Industrial Sectors based on international BAT (Best Available Techniques) and providing environmental and sustainability inputs into the subsequent revisions of the Masterplan.