04 January 2015
Dr. Saif Mohammed Al Ghais, CEO of Environment Protection and Development Authority (EPDA) in Ras Al Khaimah conducted a surprise inspection visit to a number of industrial and professional establishments in Al Kharran and Al Digdaga areas and Al Ghail Industrial Area during the New Year's holiday to check the accuracy of the application of environmental requirements in line with the orientations of Ras Al Khaimah government and federal and local environmental laws concerning the protection of the environment from any activities with adverse effects, and the sustainability of its resources.
Following the visit, Dr. Al Ghais stated that the inspection visit which was conducted on a holiday reflects the environmental work initiative that involves directors and supervisors alike, and was not expected at all, whether on the part of the industrial and professional establishments operating in the emirate, or on the part of EPDA officers and supervisors.
Al Ghais continued that this initiative resulted in the detection of environmental violations at one of the industrial plants in Al Ghail area in the form of residues resulting from the manufacturing process which contaminated the soil due to the lack of a processing system to dispose of these pollutants in the plant in a way that conform with environmental requirements, given that the industrial plant in question has already been warned several times before.
On the other hand, Dr. Al Ghais decided to reward another industrial plant operating in the same activity in Al Ghail area for its commitment to environmental standards and the requirements of manufacturing processes. The CEO of EPDA also pointed out that this initiative that he launched is a complement to the initiative of best environmental practices that was launched by the authority four years ago to promote environmental awareness among institutions of various kinds and different segments of society, and through the application of this initiative the authority had received several awards, including: The Social Responsibility Award from the Arab Organization for Social Responsibility in 2013, the best execution of green applications award on the emirate level from RAK police general headquarters during 2014, as well as their participation in the ninth forum of best excellence by innovation practices organized by Sheikh Saqr Program for Government Excellence during the year 2014.