Sharjah: Sharjah’s environmental protection authority has issued a total of 200 fines to people found littering in Sharjah, as part of a new campaign to combat environmental violations.
The Environment and Protected Areas Authority (EPAA) announced that the campaign is aimed at educating and guiding visitors on the necessity of adhering to the law, which seeks to preserve the environment and prevent littering in order to keep it clean.
“The EPAA makes every effort to carry out the directions of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, with regard to environmental protection and the conservation of biodiversity, said Hana Saif Al Suwaidi, EPAA chairman.
“Therefore, EPAA teams carry out field trips in order to stop people from littering and also arranges awareness campaigns that contribute to the promotion of environmental issues among the residents with a view to reducing littering as well as to eliminating the perennial tree cutting problem,” she said.
Al Suwaidi said that the aim of issuing fines is not to raise money but to act as a deterrent to prevent individuals from littering in the future.
“These areas are public property and everyone should respect them, so all visitors can enjoy them. Those who defile or damage them are committing an unlawful act that brings about consequences. Therefore, our employees deal very seriously with this and issue tickets,” added Al Suwaidi.
According to Al Suwaidi, the public responds well to such campaigns which is a good indication of how keen they are to protect the environment. In all cases, she said, EPAA teams work to curb the actions of a few wrongdoers through the implementation of laws.
The EPAA is eager to apply and implement Executive Decree No. 9 of 2012 on the prevention of environmental degradation in Sharjah’s wild areas, believing this to be important to preserve and protect the environment and achieve the highest levels of sustainable development.
