RIYADH, 11 June — The Arabian Oil Company at Khafji in the Eastern Province has issued a letter of intent to the Riyadh-based Saudi Environmental Company (SEC) for recycling oil sludge, estimated at 200,000-250,000 tons, for the production of waterproofing membrane used by the construction industry. This was disclosed to Arab News by Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Otaishan, chairman of the Otaishan Group, who said his company was the lowest bidder.
The Saudi Environmental Company, part of the Al-Otaishan Group, was set up last year to serve its clients in the field of environmental protection.
Under new environmental regulations, no project will be licensed unless it is cleared by the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment. An environmental audit has to be carried out to assess the probable environmental hazard and to put in place a risk management program.
Mahaboobulla Shariff, senior environmental engineer at Otaishan Engineering Office, said the oil sludge has to be treated as it contains toxic material.
SEC will evaluate the project before it goes on stream, so that noxious emissions, effluents and other hazardous waste could be controlled beforehand. It will check pollution and reduce the health care cost resulting from environment-related health problems. - Javid Hassan
