Sohar Environmental Unit
Standing sentinel over the environment
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VERSEEING ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY AT the Port of Sohar is the Sohar Environmental Unit (SEU), a special outfit set up under the auspices of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs.
The Unit’s establishment follows the signing of an agreement in May 2008 between the Omani government and DCMR Environmental Agency Rijnmond, the Dutch environmental protection agency overseeing environmental standards around the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Conceived as a dedicated environmental protection agency for Sohar, the SEU is tasked with introducing international environmental safety standards in the industrial zone around Sohar. Its mandate is to address all issues related to the environment – air pollution, ambient air quality, waste issues, and all water-related issues, covering cooling water discharge and wastes discharged into the marine environment. The SEU’s responsibilities cover the following broad objectives:
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To protect the environment and local inhabitants
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Ensure compliance with environmental regulations and standards
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Monitor and enforce regulations through a regime of regular inspections
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To collect and analyse environmental samples
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Review and update policies
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Human resource training
To formulate and strengthen environmental safety and management guidelines
Undertake environmental licensing and permit functions Support cooperation with both local and international agencies
The scope of the SEU’s activities covers the following areas:
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Air and noise pollution control Waste management and pollution control Soil and ground water pollution control
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PORT OF SOHAR 2011
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Wastewater pollution control Climate and energy management Safety and Emergency Response Preparedness Marine and coastal management Chemical and radioactive pollution control
An electronic emissions monitoring system will soon come on line around the industrial port, enabling efficient and round-theclock monitoring of the natural environment. The Unit is also in the process of establishing a 24-hour Operations Room suitably equipped to respond to pollution-related contingencies. The SEU’s capabilities are being progressively ramped up in line with its expanded mandate which now includes the adjoining free zone and other industries operating in the wider Sohar area. The size of the Unit’s inspection team is proposed to be increased from the present six inspectors to a total of 20 in the future. As a partner in the initiative, Rotterdam-based DCMR is supporting the Omani government in the formulation of environmental policies and standards governing industrial activities in and around the Sohar port. It is also committed to providing technical expertise and personnel towards the staffing and operation of the SEU. Founded in 1972, the DCMR oversees environmental protection issues in the larger Rotterdam region of the Netherlands, a heavily industrialised area with refineries, waste incinerators, waste dumping sites, many large chemical plants, metallurgy, food processing plants and about 19,500 smaller companies. The DCMR issues permits to virtually all of the 22,000 enterprises in the area and carries out more than 9,000 inspections to monitor compliance with the permit conditions. It supervises and monitors clean-up programmes to minimise the impact of soil pollution, waste disposal and noise.