MME: Violators of public hygiene rules to get severe punishment

Violators of public hygiene rules to get severe punishment: Al Shafi

The Ministry of Municipality and Environment represented by the General Cleanliness Department has stressed that it gives high importance on maintaining hygiene at beaches and islands because they are picnic spots.

However, some private companies and workers who visit some of these public places have been found not complying with public hygiene law or behave in a manner that keeps public places not comfortable for other visitors.

Eid Al Fitr event is one of the occasions where people rush to beaches and public parks. Photos circulated yesterday showed wastes scattered along the Sealine Beach left by workers who visited the beach during the holidays.

This happened yesterday although there are more than 60 small garbage containers, and 15 big containers in the location, said Safar Mubarak Al Shafi, Undersecretary for General Services Affairs at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment.

This is happening mainly because of lack of awareness, and companies are not providing necessary directives to the workers about the importance of keeping these public places clean and putting the wastes in designated containers, he added.

Companies must provide these workers with waste bags to clean the places, the Undersecretary for General Services Affairs at the Ministry said.

Al Shafi added that the Ministry provides all necessary support including workers and equipment to maintain hygiene at the public places throughout the year as they receive a big number of visitors especially during the Eid, weekends and other official holidays.

With regard to the photos circulated yesterday about the Sealine beach, Al Shafi told the Peninsula that the pictures were taken at the time when the workers left the site and before the workers in charge of cleaning the beach reached the site early morning. This happened because the number of workers who visited the beach was big, and there was a big crowd of workers from different companies.

At 6.30am the site was fully cleaned and no waste was left, because the Ministry had allocated 100 workers to clean these places twice every day in the morning and evening shifts, he added. Visitors are therefore requested to cooperate with the Ministry in maintaining hygiene at beaches and islands by throwing garbage on designated places and garbage bins.

This means that they have to clean the place and maintain it and respect the Public Hygiene Law.

Al Shafi stressed that General Cleanliness Department had launched a programme for cleaning beaches to cover all areas of the country, in particular during Eid and other holidays, adding that the programme is being implemented smoothly without any impact on daily routine work of the Department.

Al Shafi said the Ministry will enforce the law and bring all those who violate the Public Hygiene Law, whether they are individuals or companies, to justice as the law stipulates severe punishments for breaking the law, including huge fines of up to QR25,000.

The law also recommends prison sentences of up to one year if serious transgressions of the law are proven.

Fines for minor violations have been increased fivefold, ranging from QR100 to QR500.

«البلدية والبيئة»: معاقبة المخالفين بشاطئ سيلين

أعلنت وزارة البلدية والبيئة أن إدارة النظافة العامة كشفت جهودها الميدانية للتصدي للمخالفات التي عرفتها منطقة سيلين خلال أيام عيد الفطر المبارك، من بعض العمالة الذين لم تقم شركاتهم بتوعيتهم بضرورة المحافظة على النظافة العامة بالشواطئ، موضحة أن فريق العمل نجح في إعادة الشاطئ إلى نظافته المعهودة في وقت قياسي.

وقالت الوزارة -في سلسلة تغريدات عبر حسابها الرسمي بموقع التواصل الاجتماعي «تويتر»، أمس- إن مراقبي المحميات والشواطئ ومفتشي النظافة العامة قاموا باتخاذ الإجراءات القانونية اللازمة في حق المخالفين، من أجل تعزيز الجهود الكبيرة التي تقوم بها الوزارة للحفاظ على نظافة المرافق العامة بالدولة.

وأضافت في تغريدة أخرى أنها تعمل على تنظيف مختلف الشواطئ بالدولة بشكل يومي ومستمر، وتوزيع الحاويات بشكل كافٍ، وتنفيذ الحملات التوعوية من خلال توزيع الأكياس المخصصة للنفايات ونشر الإعلانات والإرشادات، بهدف الحفاظ على شواطئ قطر نظيفة وجميلة.

وأوضحت الوزارة أن القانون رقم 18 لسنة 2017 بشأن النظافة العامة يعاقب على مخالفة إلقاء أو ترك مخلفات الطعام في الحدائق والشواطئ وغيرها من المرافق العامة، مطالبة رواد هذه الأماكن بالتخلص الآمن والسليم من النفايات بالحاويات المخصصة لذلك.

وتداول رواد مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي، أمس، صوراً وفيديوهات لعدد كبير من المخلفات على شاطئ سيلين وأماكن تجمع السيارات، فضلاً عن غياب اللوحات الإرشادية المتعلقة بالنظافة، الأمر الذي سبب حالة سخط لدى النشطاء، بسبب تلوث البيئة الناتج عن المخالفين.