EPA urges resorts to stop dumping waste in sea
EPA objected to the enforcement delay by the tourism ministry and said action would be taken against resorts dumping any kind of garbage into the sea.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday urged resorts to stop dumping waste into the sea, noting that the tourism industry is not complying with the amendments made to the regulations to prevent resorts from dumping any kind of waste into the sea.
Although the waste management regulations state that dumping of waste into the sea is prohibited, the tourism ministry's 2016 regulations on environmental protection have previously allowed resorts to dump degradable garbage into the sea.
In November last year, the government scrapped the clause in the regulation that allowed resorts to dump garbage in the sea in the wake of a growing problem of dumping of garbage. The ministry, which has been asked to implement the rule from the date of its enforcement, has decided:
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Enforcement of the amendment to remove clause allowing resorts to dump garbage in the sea to be delayed until next year
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The decision was taken in a circular signed by tourism ministry's Director Ibrahim Fikri on March 30
However, EPA objected to the delay and said action would be taken against resorts dumping any kind of garbage into the sea.
In response to the issue of garbage being dumped by resorts, the EPA said in a statement on Monday that:
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The clause that allowed resorts to garbage degradable garbage into the sea in certain situations had been scrapped via the amendment that came into effect from 22 November 2021
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It has been observed that some tourist establishments are not doing enough to manage the waste in a manner that minimises the damage to the environment
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urged the tourism industry to stop dumping waste in the sea and to follow the regulations
