Bahrain is 'seriously concerned' about the effects of climate change and steps to minimise the impact of rising sea level is urgenly needed, a senior official said.

Public Commission for the Protection of Marine Resources Environment and Wildlife director-general Dr Adel Khalifa Al Zayani said the scenario concerning rising sea levels was grim.

'But there are other issues as well, primarily those relating to the marine life and the environment,' he told our sister newspaper Gulf Daily News on the sidelines of the National Climate Change seminar at the Movenpick Hotel, Muharraq.

Though he did not reveal the latest statistics about the rate of sea level rises, the UN earlier warned that up to 70sq km of Bahrain's mainland could be under water within the next 100 years as a result of climate change.

It also predicted that the sea level could rise between one and six metres during that period.

'We have to take measures to stop this catastrophe from happening and take steps to minimise the impact when it does,' he said.

The seminar was held as a preparatory event for the international Climate Change negotiations, due to take place in Copenhagen in December.

It was organised by the public commission, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and UN Environment Programme (Unep) to engage stakeholders in discussions about climate change in the areas of adaptation, mitigation, technology and finance.

The event also aimed to provide a platform for discussion which aims to contribute to a unified viewpoint for Bahrain's delegation prior to the Copenhagen conference.

It was held under the patronage of its chairman Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

Al Zayani said Bahrain would raise the issue of increasing sea salinity levels and predictions of heat waves striking the Gulf and impending drought conditions at the Copenhagen summit.

'The government has put together strategies to cope with the problem and promote social and sustainable development in a bid to control the features that contribute to global warming' he said.

Al Zayani said Bahrain was also preparing a comprehensive national plan to formulate a cost-effective res-ponse to climate change.

Speaking on the final recommendations of the summit, Al Zayani said climate change was already having an impact.

'We know we cannot prevent it from happening on our own so we have become part of a global alliance,' he said.

'That is why we will be at the summit to present our recommendations along with 150 other nations.'

Al Zayani said Bahrain was in 'scarier' position than many others because it was a group of islands.

'Melting ice caps are resulting in a sea level increase and Bahrain is at the forefront of a disaster,' he said.

Al Zayani said a potential disaster is also in the offing since global warming and rising sea levels threatened marine life.

'The effects are not visible to the naked eye all at once but will become apparent over the years,' he warned.

A UN study had earlier concluded the bleakest outlook suggests the sea level could rise by a metre, which would mean 10 per cent of the country would be under water by the end of the century.

UN officials earlier said Bahrain was the first Arab country to meet all the requirements for implementing the Hyogo Framework for Action - the globally approved disaster risk reduction initiative.

Participants in yesterday's seminar included technical and decision making representatives of the Bahraini government as well as Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and private companies.-TradeArabia News Service