JEDDAH, 17 November 2003 — Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, has approved the executive regulations of the Kingdom’s general law on the environment.
The move is seen as the start of the implementation of more specific, and tougher, laws relating to the sustainable use, conservation and protection of the Kingdom’s environment.
Prince Turki ibn Nasser, president of the Meteorological and Environmental Protection Agency (MEPA) announced the move at MEPA headquarters here on Saturday and made clear the thinking behind the new laws: “The aim is not to enforce punishment as much as it is to protect the environment.”
The announcement called for the media to “enlighten people about the environmental law and its regulations,” called for “promoting environmental awareness at all levels” and referred to the government’s existing general policy (Articles 31 and 32 of the Governance Law) which stress the need for the state to take care of every “citizen’s health, protect the environment and prevent pollution.”
The new measures indicate a willingness to actively encourage the media to seek information about the both the local and national environment and share the results in the interest of public awareness. This will be part of the stated objectives of “enlightening the public about the environment.”
Prince Turki described the Kingdom’s existing general law on the environment as a major achievement in the field of environment protection and said MEPA was now setting the right priorities for effective implementation.
The new laws “urge and encourage the public to comply with the provisions of the law and to introduce executive measures to ensure commitment to the environmental standards set by the competent authority.”
The regulations also detail enforcement and inspection measures in place for the monitoring of environmental procedures, though these are not detailed in the general announcement.
The regulations discuss methods of apprehending violators through the Court of Grievances. With what appears to be a new resolve, “it speeds up the response to pollution cases without waiting for routine claims. It gives the competent authority the needed flexibility and initiative to embark on watching, controlling and forcing violators to remove the violations.”
