RIYADH, 20 June 2005 — The Shoura Council proposed new laws and measures to preserve coastlines in the Kingdom in its weekly session yesterday.
Presided over by its President Dr. Saleh Bin-Humaid, the council discussed the subject of the management program of coastal areas presented to the council by the Water and Public Services Committee.
The president of the committee, Dr. Hizam Al-Otaibi, presented the committee’s recommendation to the members for their approval.
Shoura Secretary-General Dr. Saleh Al-Malik said the council discussed the ways and means of developing coastal areas in a manner that would be beneficial for the use of its resources. He mentioned that the recommendations sought were for the benefit of the people to allow more coastal areas to be accessible to the public.
In the program, the council, he said, would agree on categorizing coastal areas according to the agenda set for their industrial development. Certain coastal areas of ecological importance would not undergo any development. The intention was to preserve their natural resources and leave them accessible to experts to study the ecology and natural resources.
The proposal also called for the importance of preserving natural land and sea environments from being damaged and the creation of awareness of their importance to the country.
According to the new system, dumping waste material, burying garbage, digging, construction work, and all other alterations to the coastline, would be strictly forbidden.
Permission would only be granted if the construction was very necessary and judged as being in the national interest. Companies permitted to carry out projects of national interest on the coastline would have to comply with stringent laws to preserve the coastline’s natural ecosystems in its original form. They would also have to guarantee that a part of the coastline would be accessible as public beaches.
The system would also forbid any ownership of land on the coastline, whether by deeds being granted to government officials or lands sold by real estate owners to other citizens for construction purposes.
Fishing areas and areas where fish farms are located would also be off-limits for ownership.
The council also stressed on the importance of banning the dumping of raw sewage, wastewater from industrial plants and other semi-purified (gray) water in coastal areas in any form.
In addition, it stressed the importance of preserving the natural coral reefs in waters on the coasts of the Kingdom and said any activities that endangered its growth would be strictly forbidden.
The secretary-general said strict penalties would be imposed on those would violated the laws.
The Shoura is expected to vote on the new system in another session in the near future after the Water and Public Services Committee takes note of all views of its members discussing the matter.
Meanwhile, the council has postponed the discussion of the annual report submitted by the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice on its financial situation in 2003-2004 to another hearing.
