Marine Desertification

At the beginning of the third millennium, Al-Maqshaei’s life was turned upside down as he watched Bahrain’s northern coastline erode due to reclamation, slowly turning into a concrete area where private properties were being built.

Al-Maqshaei, who has been fishing since the 1990s, tells us that fishermen in these areas informed the relevant authorities in 2004 and spoke to members of parliament about the problem they faced after the reclamation, but to no avail. He adds "The landfilling continued until the entire northern coast disappeared, and there are no longer enough fishing spots left on the coast."

The problem is not limited to the disappearance of fishing grounds. As a result of changes in the marine environment caused by landfilling , Bahrain’s coasts are threatened by fish migration. Jassim Al-Qasir, former director general of the General Directorate of Marine Resources at the General Authority for Marine Resources, Environment, and Wildlife Protection, stated in 2012 that "stocks of grouper "hamour" fish have declined by about 90 percent in territorial waters over the past two decades."Although fish production figures do not reveal a significant decline over the years—with the exception of a sharp drop in 2011 to less than 10,000 tons, followed by a sudden increase in 2012 to more than 27,000 tons—the production rate has remained steady, rising from 11,700 tons in 2000 to around 20,000 tons in 2022. However, the real impact has been felt in the decline in the numbers of certain species, leading to an imbalance in fish stocks.

In a study published by the Arabian Gulf University entitled "The Status of Commercial Fisheries in the Kingdom of Bahrain," researchers found that the northern region experienced a decline in the quantity of sardines, grouper "hamour," and Spangled Emperor "shari" fish between 2004 and 2009.

Al-Maqshaei laments the fish species that once inhabited Bahraini waters but have since disappeared from its coastline. "The fish have left our shores. For example, the mullet, which children use to catch because it was close to the shore, is on the verge of extinction. Most of the fish sold in the market now are Yemeni, Omani, Egyptian, or Pakistani."

As for other types of fish, Al-Maqshaei says, "The "qayoun" fish, for example, which used to be sold cheaply, is now extinct, as is the "sabiti". Even the "safí" is mostly imported from abroad, while the "sahili," with its pleasant aroma that can be smelled from a distance from the shore, has disappeared today."

Al-Maqshaei's comments echo those of fisherman Issa (a pseudonym), who fishes off the coast of Karana. "When the coastline is landfilled, as has happened on the artificial island of Nourana opposite to Karana, certain types of fish become scarce and their price rises," he explains. In addition, there are species that only live in coastal areas."

Isa adds that "Landfilling of the sea has a greater impact than overfishing because we lose the coastal areas completely, which leads to a significant decline in fish stocks."

All this discourages some people from pursuing fishing as a profession. Al-Maqshaei says "Fishing is no longer a source of livelihood. Fishermen used to be able to support their families, but now we are suffering, yet this is our life, and we have no other source of income."

Official statistics indicate that the number of fishermen in Bahrain fell from 5,902 to 4,425 between 2018 and 2022.

Although fishermen are directly affected by landfill works, Al-Maqshaei asserts that no one consulted them during the environmental impact assessment that preceded the landfill projects.

In its efforts to "protect the environment and its natural resources from the effects of various development operations and ensure sustainable development," the Ministry of Housing, Municipalities, and Environment issued Decision No. 1 of 1998 on "Environmental Assessment of Projects."

The decision required new projects to submit an environmental impact assessment report, especially projects located on reclaimed coasts or new islands, and made the assessment a prerequisite for obtaining a landfill permit.

Environmental impact assessment is an internationally recognized tool for studying the potential effects of projects that may harm the environment or the population. It is defined as a process that aims to identify the negative and positive environmental effects of development plans, whether tangible or intangible, direct or indirect, immediate or future, at the local, regional, and global levels, with the aim of reducing, treating, or avoiding environmental damage as much as possible.

Bahrain first adopted an environmental impact assessment in 1998, and the Supreme Council for the Environment was tasked with issuing environmental permits for projects before other relevant authorities issued the necessary licenses.

Dr. Hamoud Nasser, Associate Professor in the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Bahrain, evaluated 20 environmental assessment reports issued between 2004 and 2014 in a study entitled "The Role of Environmental Impact Assessment in Protecting Coastal and Marine Environments in Rapidly Developing Islands: The case of Bahrain, Arabian Gulf." He found that 35 percent of the reports were satisfactory according to quality indicators, while 65 percent were unsatisfactory or barely met the requirements.

Dr. Hamoud attributed the poor quality of the reports to several factors, including the outdated sources used for the assessment . They also do not reflect recent developments in the environment, and 60 percent of them are not specific to the Arabian Gulf environment. In addition, the reports do not take into account the cumulative impact of projects located close to each other, and most of them do not mention all the environmental components in the area to be reclaimed, nor the spatial distribution of these components and creatures. Eleven of the reports do not provide a comprehensive map of the area.

With regard to the involvement of stakeholders in environmental impact assessment reports, Hamoud points out that the reports covered by the study mention consultation with official institutions and even some members of parliament in four housing projects, but do not include any reference to broad public participation.

In this regard, we asked Sarah (a pseudonym), an employee at one of the companies tasked with studying the environmental impact of a number of unnamed projects. She tells us that during the study the researchers communicated directly with the government agencies responsible for communicating with the local community.

Regarding the effectiveness of the environmental impact assessment process in Bahrain, Sarah says "The current assessment process follows internationally recognized standards and covers all aspects of environmental impacts. It could be improved by making it more detailed, as some Gulf countries follow stricter procedures in this regard."

As for possible alternatives to the project site, Sarah explains that the company only considers alternative sites if the client (project owner) suggests them and requests an analysis. However, the reports reviewed by Dr. Hamoud did not include any alternatives to the projects. In addition, Dr. Hamoud pointed out that no alternatives were proposed for 85 percent of the sand borrowing sites.

To understand the mechanism for monitoring projects and issuing violations, we spoke to Engineer Ahmed (a pseudonym), who has worked on several projects. He confirms that "there is always monitoring and continuous testing carried out by the relevant authorities."

He notes that the most prominent violations he observed during his work included the leakage of water containing suspended solids in excess of permissible limits, as well as offshore drilling outside licensed sites. Penalties range from temporary suspension of the project or complete shutdown in some cases, to requiring contractors to modify their work plans to ensure compliance with environmental standards and avoid repeating these violations.

In 2016, the government announced that it had issued 35 violations and suspended six landfill projects due to their failure to ensure the containment of turbidity caused by landfill operations within the project boundaries.

Northern City

Dr. Hamoud's study is confirmed by another study conducted by Dr. Walid Al-Saad, Dr. Sabah Al-Junaid, and Dr. Walid Zebari on the environmental impact report prepared by a French consulting firm for the Northern City project, a city consisting of ten islands located on the northwestern coast of Bahrain. The project opened in 2018 and has an area of approximately 7.4 kilometers.

The researchers concluded that the "investigation" in the French firm’s report does not meet the basic requirements for environmental impact assessment, as it does not provide data on marine environmental monitoring in the northern region and the food chains established there. The report does not address changes in the marine environment during the seasons and does not include a projected timeline for the recovery of the affected marine environment.

In the study, researchers found a negative impact of the project on water quality, groundwater, marine environmental components, and fish stocks, noting that the impact of the project on coastal marine organisms in particular is extremely serious and cannot be addressed.

The study points out that the mitigation measures proposed by the French firmlack actual studies.

A number of studies confirm the effects of landfills on the marine environment. A study by the Department of Life Sciences at the College of Science at the University of Bahrain which included ten marine landfill projects, found that 153 square kilometers of these marine environments were damaged, including smooth rocks, algae, seaweed, sand, coral reefs, and others.

Another study, published in the Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering, confirmed that coral reefs have been extensively damaged by several factors, the most important of which is coastal erosion. Less than 6 percent of these coral reefs remain.

A report by the General Authority for the Protection of Marine Resources, Environment, and Wildlife reveals a change in sea currents and an increase in salinity on the west coast to more than 60 parts per thousand, compared to the normal salinity of the Arabian Gulf, which ranges between 37 and 38 parts per thousand.

A study conducted by the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Bahrain indicates that the losses resulting from landfilling are estimated at $8,023 per year for every 10,000 square meters buried, as a result of damage to environmental recycling and food production, as well as the loss of environmental functions performed by the coast, such as purifying pollutants, protecting beaches from storms and erosion, and other vital roles.

Plans to landfill the coastline in Bahrain have not stopped, despite the financial losses revealed by previous studies, the deterioration of the marine environment, and the decline in fishermen’s livelihoods,.

In November 2021, the Bahrain Ministerial Committee for Development Projects and Infrastructure announced the launch of a package of strategic projects worth more than $30 billion as part of the economic recovery plan following the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The package includes five new maritime cities in Fasht Al-Azim, Fasht Al-Jarim, Suhaila Island, Bahrain Bay, and Hawar Islands. The plans for the five islands varied between industrial, tourist, residential, and mixed-use projects.

The announcement of these projects triggered public opposition to the landfilling , in addition to parliamentary attempts to protect these areas.

The House of Representatives submitted a bill classifying the areas of Fashit al-Jarm and Fashit al-Azim as nature reserves, but the government called for a review of the bill, and the Shura Council had already rejected a similar bill in 2012.

During the discussion of the proposal, MP Hassan Ibrahim Hassan stressed that protecting the marine environment is more important than ever. He pointed out the need to include Fesht al-Garm, Fesht al-Azim, and their associated habitats as nature reserves, as they contain an area of seagrass that is an important habitat for marine animals.

MP Hassan warned against filling in these marine areas, adding "These activities result in the spread of sediment, the loss of important marine habitats, and reduced opportunities for the recovery of fish stocks and fishing activity, which has long been negatively affected by landfill operations."

In May 2022, the "Bahrain Gate" account exclusively published news about the start of the landfill in parts of Fash al-Azim, which sparked controversy. Dr. Ismail Al-Madani, former Director General of Environmental Protection and Wildlife, called on the relevant authorities to publish an environmental impact assessment of the project via his social media account on X.

"As this concerns every citizen due to its relation to food security, I demand that the Environment Agency publish the documents approving the burial of the fish bone, which is the lung of our fish wealth, in addition to publishing an environmental impact assessment of the project, which is a prerequisite for starting any project." Dr. Ismail Al-Madani, former Director General of Environmental Protection and Wildlife, via X

After about a year of controversy, local news sites published a report indicating that the Bahrain Planning and Development Authority had appointed international consulting firms specializing in environmental studies to prepare preliminary environmental studies for these sites. Another report published on May 2, 2024, stated that preliminary surveys of the five new cities, which will be used to "assess the potential environmental impacts in these areas," began a year ago but have not yet been completed.

When we asked Bahraini fisherman Mohammed al-Maqshaei about the potential impact of the new cities, he replied "If these areas are buried, marine life will be damaged; the water will stagnate and become muddy, and the fish will disappear. These two fish spawning grounds are the only ones left in Bahrain. Even seasonal fish that pass through our waters to lay their eggs will not return to us after that."

This investigation was carried out with the support of ARIJ