EAD imposes Dhs328,000 administrative fine on violators of environmental legislation

The Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi (EAD) has imposed 32 administrative fines totaling Dhs328,000 on businesses violating environmental legislation.

The largest fine to date was Dh50,000 for the discharge of substances into the marine environment that caused unpleasant odours, unnatural colours, or caused significant changes in temperature and turbulence in the emirate’s waters.

Other violations include submitting incorrect data to the EAD, altering data contained in a permit, or polluting soil, water or air within protected areas.

The agency followed up with the offending business to ensure corrective action was taken to eliminate or mitigate the cause.

The decision to impose administrative fines is made to strengthen the regulatory and supervisory role of the EAD and to support mechanisms to address activities and actions that have a negative impact on the environment. The agency is also responsible for restricting harmful practices not covered by applicable environmental legislation to facilitate compliance with Abu Dhabi’s environmental legislation.

The decision divides administrative violations and fines into three categories. These include fishing and discharge violations into the marine environment; violations related to hunting, biodiversity and protected areas; violations related to development and industrial activities.

Of the total number of violations, 87.5 percent occurred in the development and industrial activities category, while the remaining 12.5 percent were violations related to hunting, biodiversity and protected areas. There are no fines for violations of the marine fisheries sector or discharges into the marine environment.

ED Faisal Al Hammadi, Acting EAD’s Environmental Quality Department, said: “Since our establishment in 1996, as Abu Dhabi’s competent authority responsible for enforcing environmental laws and regulatory controls in the emirate, we have taken several steps to The directives and visions set by the environment provide a sound regulatory framework.

“We achieve this by applying best practice and the highest international standards of governance to ensure that the emirate’s long-term economic vision is achieved in a way that protects our natural heritage for a better future for all.”

Khaled Al Hajri, Head of Compliance and Enforcement at the Environmental Quality Department, said: “We are stepping up our efforts to work closely with facilities and agencies operating in Abu Dhabi to fully understand the various environmental legislation, which can help limit or reduce the Environmentally harmful behavior, thereby avoiding any penalties or fines. EAD licensed sites and projects have achieved a compliance rate of 97%.”