Cabinet resolution to regulate activities of quarries in the UAE

Dubai: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, issued a cabinet resolution to regulate the activities of quarries and the transport of their products.

Cabinet resolution No. 20 of 2008, issued yesterday, is the result of intensive efforts exerted by the Ministry of Environment and Water to protect environment and human health.

Dr Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahd, Minister of Environment and Water, said the decision is in line with the government's keenness to reduce the negative impact of such activities on human health and the environment, especially after the rapid increase in the number of quarries in the last few years.

The 24-article resolution makes it compulsory for quarries to adjust their status according to its provisions and rulings.

Under the new decision, any new facility is not allowed to practice as a quarry without obtaining a licence from the relevant authority. If a quarry lies between two emirates, and it was found through a study that it has negative effects on the other emirate, the quarry's licence should be revised with coordination between the Federal Environment Agency and the environment body in each emirate.

Suspension

The resolution mandates the concerned environment body in each emirate to coordinate with the federal body to set the daily working hours and off days or the temporary suspension of work due to weather conditions.

The resolution bans the use of any radioactive materials and chemical substances or any devices that contain radioactive sources by quarries without obtaining permission from the necessary authorities. It also bans the use of explosives of various kinds or the conduct of explosions without pre-approval.

The resolution prohibits any facility from carrying out any activities that may cause damage to the environment. All quarries are also obliged to use the latest technologies and abide by international standards to control dust.

It also call for the monitoring of the quality of air by coordinating with the federal body and local environment bodies in the emirates.