Saudi Arabia’s newly established environment fund and environment centers were inaugurated on Thursday as part of the country’s sustainability strategy and efforts to ensure the protection of its environment and ecosystems.
The fund and five centers were inaugurated by Abdulrahman Al-Fadley, who is the minister of environment, water and agriculture.
“Establishing an environment fund aims at contributing to the financial sustainability of the environment sector and providing the necessary capabilities for its advancement, by contributing to supporting the operational budgets of environmental centers, supporting environmental programs, studies and initiatives, stimulating environmentally friendly technologies and improving environmental performance and environmental rehabilitation programs,” the minister said.
The National Center for the Development of Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification aims to develop and manage national parks, develop and rehabilitate vegetation cover in forests, protect local endangered plant species, combat desertification, in addition to conducting studies and supporting research related to vegetation.
The National Center for Environmental Compliance is concerned with monitoring the environmental compliance of all establishments that have an impact on the environment in all development sectors, supervising programs for monitoring sources of environmental pollution in addition to approving environmental impact studies, issuing environmental licenses for all development projects, and inspecting installations.
The ministry said the tasks of the National Center for Wildlife Development included supervising programs related to the protection and development of wildlife and biological diversity, as well as planning and managing protected areas and managing centers for the breeding and resettlement of endangered animals.
The National Center for Meteorology will monitor weather and climate conditions, prepare forecasts, provide airports, ports and other bodies with data and weather forecasts, and operate weather monitoring stations in the Kingdom’s regions.
The National Center for Waste Management will organize the waste management sector to improve the quality of services, enhance the level of capabilities and competencies, enhance the economic sustainability of the sector by stimulating investment and maximizing the participation of the private sector, reduce waste disposal in landfills by stimulating the use of best practices in resource recovery techniques.
Environment fund, centers inaugurated in Saudi Arabia
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Environment fund, centers inaugurated in Saudi Arabia
- Ministry aims to contribute to the financial sustainability, protect ecosystems
KSrelief distributes thousands of food baskets worldwide
- Etaam project aims to distribute 390,109 food parcels across 27 countries during Ramadan
RIYADH: Saudi aid agency KSrelief has delivered thousands of food parcels to some of the world’s most vulnerable people, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.
In Nigeria, KSrelief distributed 334 food baskets to families in need in the Adamawa state as part of the Etaam Ramadan food basket distribution project.
In Mauritania, 220 food parcels benefited 1,320 people in the Tiaret district. Somalia received 1,390 baskets for families in the Sool and Sanaag regions, benefiting 8,340 people.
Bangladesh saw 300 parcels distributed in the Barguna district, benefiting 1,500 individuals.
In Romania, 150 baskets were provided to families in Bucharest and Constanţa, while in Montenegro, 250 parcels were given to families in Rozaje and Bijelo Polje.
In Niger, 700 baskets were distributed in the Tillaberi Region, benefiting 4,900 people. South Africa received 450 parcels for families in Johannesburg.
Now in its fourth phase, the Etaam project aims to distribute 390,109 food parcels across 27 countries during Ramadan, benefiting 2.3 million people at a cost of over SR67 million ($17.8 million).
Paramedics resuscitate pilgrim in Grand Mosque within two minutes
- The patient was then transferred to a nearby medical facility to follow up on his condition and receive further care
RIYADH: Paramedics resuscitated a pilgrim within two minutes of a reported cardiac arrest at Makkah’s Grand Mosque on Saturday.
Authorities received a report at 4:06 p.m. of an Algerian pilgrim in his 60s who had fallen unconscious in the outer courtyards of the mosque.
Ambulance teams immediately attended the patient and used an electrical defibrillator and chest compression device to resuscitate him, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The patient was then transferred to a nearby medical facility to follow up on his condition and receive further care.
The quick response time was thanks to a plan that the Saudi Red Crescent Authority in Makkah had put in place in preparation for Ramadan, according to the SPA.
The holy month tends to be an especially busy period with visitors performing the Umrah pilgrimage.
There have been 242 instances in which emergency cases were transported from the courtyards of the Prophet’s Mosque to medical centers during Ramadan.
The Madinah Cardiac Center has performed open-heart surgery and seven cardiac catheterizations on Umrah pilgrims from five countries during the first half of Ramadan.
The Madinah Health Cluster, which includes hospitals and clinics in the region, also provided medical and emergency services to 23,014 people from more than 70 countries during Ramadan.
Saudi-led project clears 484,949 mines, explosive devices in Yemen
RIYADH: A Saudi-led humanitarian initiative in Yemen has seen a milestone 484,949 land mines and unexploded ordnance cleared since the start of the project in 2018, according to a recent report.
These include 323,793 items of unexploded ordnance, 146,207 anti-tank mines, 8,200 improvised explosive devices, and 6,749 anti-personnel mines, according to Ousama Al-Gosaibi, the project’s managing director.
Project Masam, overseen by the Kingdom’s aid agency KSrelief, continues to remove deadly devices laid in the war-torn country by the Houthis.
Last week, the project’s special teams destroyed 515 items of unexploded ordnance, 25 anti-tank mines, five anti-personnel mines, and three improvised explosive devices.
Explosives planted indiscriminately by the Houthis across Yemen pose a threat to civilians, including children, women, and the elderly.
Project Masam is one of several initiatives undertaken by Saudi Arabia on the orders of King Salman to help the Yemeni people, clearing routes for humanitarian aid to reach the country’s citizens.
Demining operations took place in Marib, Aden, Jouf, Shabwa, Taiz, Hodeidah, Lahij, Sanaa, Al-Bayda, Al-Dhale, and Saada.
The initiative trains local demining engineers and provides them with modern equipment. It also offers support to Yemenis injured by the devices.
About 5 million people have been forced to flee their homes since the start of the conflict in Yemen, many of them displaced by the presence of land mines.
Masam teams are tasked with clearing villages, roads, and schools to facilitate the safe movement of civilians and the delivery of humanitarian aid.
New bus routes launched to serve Diplomatic Quarter
- New bus routes will run from the King Saud University Station to the Diplomatic Quarter daily
RIYADH: The public bus network in Riyadh has been extended to serve the city’s Diplomatic Quarter, which houses many of the foreign embassies in the capital.
New bus routes will run from the King Saud University Station to the Diplomatic Quarter daily starting from 6:30 a.m. and ending at midnight.
The full schedule can be found on the Darb application for public transport.
The new routes come as the Royal Commission for Riyadh City continues its efforts to expand the public transport network in the city.
As well as the high-profile launch of the Riyadh Metro in December 2024, which now has six lines covering an area of more than 176 km, the commission is also working to expand the bus network.
There are now more than 2,860 bus stops and stations in the city, covering a total length of 1,905 km with a daily capacity of 500,000.
Saudi Arabia now 66 percent self-sufficient in grape production: MEWA
- National production in 2023 exceeded 122,000 tonnes
- 7.13 million grapes planted in over 4,720 hectares of land
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's grape production surpassed 122,000 tonnes in 2023, reflecting the growth of the local agricultural sector and its ability to meet a big portion of market demands, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported Saturday.
The figure accounts for 66 percent of current market demand in the Kingdom, said the report, citing a statement by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, or MEWA.
MEWA said more than 7.13 million grape plants, with more than 6.1 million bearing fruit.
In a separate report last year, the ministry reported a grape production area of 4,720 hectares across the Kingdom.
The same report highlighted Tabuk as the top grape-producing region, yielding 46,939 tonnes annually, adding that Qassim, Hail, and Asir also contributed significantly to the national production.
Grape farming is considered profitable because of the ease of cultivation in various soils with minimal water requirements. The plant could easily adapt to various climates in Saudi Arabia.
To encourage farmers to plant grapes, the ministry has assured its continuing efforts to support and empower them by providing modern technologies, such as smart irrigation systems and organic farming.
The ministry also aims to encourage increased local fruit consumption, saying that grapes are packed with nutrients, and have health benefits.
The harvest season for grapes is from June to September, the ministry said.
