RIYADH — The National Center for Environmental Compliance has issued 557 violations worth more than SR16 million for breaches of the procedural guide for dust control in Riyadh.
The violations were issued as part of efforts to improve environmental compliance and air quality around construction projects within the city’s urban boundaries.
Fawaz Al-Mujathil, director of the center’s Riyadh branch, said the campaign was launched in February in cooperation with the Royal Commission for Riyadh City and the Riyadh Municipality.
He said field teams carried out more than 3,000 inspections of construction projects, during which several sites were found to be failing to comply with approved measures to limit dust emissions.
The required measures include installing air quality monitoring devices at project sites, spraying dust suppressants, covering transport trucks, and ensuring truck movements comply with the technical guide.
Al-Mujathil said the violations were detected through air quality indicators from monitoring stations, public reports from residents in neighborhoods near construction sites, and round-the-clock inspection tours.
He noted that the violating sites responded by taking action to stop dust sources and implement the requirements of the procedural guide published on the websites of the center and the Royal Commission for Riyadh City.
Al-Mujathil said field monitoring of construction projects in Riyadh will continue, urging all developers and contractors to comply with dust control procedures.
He said compliance is essential to reducing the environmental impact of construction activity, improving air quality, protecting public health, and supporting sustainability and quality-of-life targets in Riyadh.
Source: Saudi Gazette