RIYADH, 11 October 2005 — Dozens of municipal workers took to the streets yesterday after Taraweeh prayers distributing brochures and leaflets as part of a massive public awareness campaign urging residents to help keep Riyadh clean — or soon face the consequences.
Riyadh Municipality along with the Riyadh Traffic Department want the public to know what’s coming after the month of Ramadan when those who litter or spit on the streets will face fines ranging from SR200 to SR5,000.
Arab News was on hand when the campaign started with the distribution of packets at traffic lights in the Nasseriyah District. Each packet contained literature and garbage bags that could be kept inside the car for putting litter.
More than 200,000 of these packets are being distributed throughout 80 different areas of the capital in 15 municipal wards. The leaflets are printed in Arabic, English, Urdu, Hindi, Malayalam and Tagalog. In addition to the handouts, two million SMS messages are being sent to mobile subscribers with the cooperation of the Saudi Telecom Company (STC).
“The campaign was officially launched in Riyadh on Sunday to inform the public that littering or spitting on the road from vehicles is punishable by fine,” said Ahmed Al-Bassam, general director of the Cleaning Department of the Riyadh Municipality. He told Arab News that his department intends to maintain a clean and beautiful environment with public cooperation.
Al-Bassam said his department will be working closely with the Traffic Police.
“We will be detaching a team of trained officers on the streets to track the violators and book them accordingly,” said Al-Bassam, noting that the officers will be in civilian attire so that they won’t be identified by passing — or littering — motorists. Violators’ auto license plates will be recorded, and the vehicle owners will be fined based on the volume of garbage thrown on the streets. Fines will be logged on Traffic Police computers. Expatriates and nationals won’t be allowed to leave the country on reentry or exit visas if they have fines due to the Traffic Department.
Al-Bassam said the violator will be summoned to the nearest municipal office to clear his fines. He solicited the cooperation of all motorists to keep the city clean and advised the other passengers in the vehicle to be mindful of the new regulation; otherwise, he said the owner of the car will be penalized for their negligence.
A Saudi motorist who received the packet of literature told Arab News that everyone should pitch in.
“I’ll tell all my family members and friends about this new regulation and help the municipality to keep Riyadh clean,” he said.
