Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Experts have urged competent authorities to quickly establish the "environmental police" to preserve environment in the Kingdom. They expect the decision will play a positive role in limiting violations that happen in broad daylight, stressing that the society must have awareness and concern for the environment. Maintaining the environment is everyone's responsibility, experts were quoted by Riyadh newspaper as saying.

Adoption of strict penalties for all forms of violations has become an important requirement. It makes the offenders stop their negative behavior. Consequently, it will create a culture within the community to help protect environment from abusers.

"To protect the environment from pollution, we have to develop a roadmap with an integrated system, because in reality we are facing a serious threat to our environment. Our lives and the future of our generations is in danger because of the spread of industrial pollutants, gas and plastic accumulations, etc.," said Ali Bou Khamseen, head of "our clean environment" campaign.

Habib Al-Shumari, a specialist, said: "People who are safe from punishment will misbehave. Although awareness is necessary, implementing laws is necessary for the development of awareness. Polluting the environment has become a vital requirement, and can include fines of tens or hundreds of riyals for the offenses of throwing garbage out of the allocated containers, burning it, damaging crops and cutting flowers and greenery in any region."

Ahmed Al-Ghadir, a supervisor for Aghsan team, stated that "Pollution occurs when the natural environment cannot destroy an element without creating harm or damage to itself. The elements involved are not produced by nature, and the destroying process can vary from a few days to thousands of years (that is, for instance, the case for radioactive pollutants). In other words, pollution takes place when nature does not know how to decompose an element that has been brought to it in an unnatural way." He added saying that pollution must be taken seriously, as it has a negative effect on natural elements that are an absolute need for life to exist on earth, such as water and air. Indeed, without it, or if they were present on different quantities, animals – including humans – and plants could not survive. He noted that implementing sanctions on offenders and creating an environmental police task force contributes significantly to raising the awareness of the community and the magnitude of what these people commit.

Al-Ghadir said that eliminating negative environmental practices should include sanctions to contribute to the preservation of the environment, such as cleaning public parks, for example, or even beaches, and working in the reserves established by the government. "There are so many things one can do to enhance environmental protection. We must not forget the influence famous people can have over encouraging people to change their behaviors. Also, there should be awards and recognition for people who show good work to protect the environment and promote the idea through mass media outlets," he said.