MUSCAT: Need for faster permit system for projects stressed

MUSCAT —  Majlis Ash’shura yesterday continued its session under the auspices of Shaikh Khalid bin Hilal al Maawali, Chairman of Majlis Ash’shura. The Majlis hosted Mohammed bin Salim al Toobi, Minister of Environment and Climate Affairs who delivered the statement of the Ministry yesterday before Majlis Ash’shura. The members continued discussing the efforts made to preserve the environment and protect it against pollution in the Sultanate.The members stressed the importance of the electronic link among the different administrations in the governorates and the Ministry to avoid delay in granting permits and facilitating procedures. They also called for establishing a department for environment in a number of wilayats in the Sultanate. The discussions of the members focused on a number of issues.

The most important of which are environmental monitoring and control.

The Ministry ensures environmental monitoring and control through a number of procedures including the enforcement of the environmental laws and legislations, the establishment and operation of stations for the environmental monitoring devices, implementing control programmes, as well as regular and surprise inspection. It also mandates the project owners and major installations to have environmental self-management and submit regular reports, data and indicators to the Ministry regularly. The statement that was read out by the Minister before Majlis Ash’shura highlighted the environmental awareness and the measures taken against violators. It also covered some projects for combating desertification including the reclamation project for the land that was affected by desertification factors at different parts of the Sultanate as well as someprojects related to wildlife, desert life and marine life.

Majlis Ash’shura members then discussed a number of issues, problems, difficulties, demands and inquiries especially about the lack of specialised human resources in the environment and climate affairs fields, the need to revise the environmental effects resulting from the dumping areas and crushers in a number of wilayats and governorates and the importance of providing quick solutions for them.