المملكة: A comprehensive ban on the use of unspeakable wastewater … and fines of 600 thousand riyals-urgent

The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture has offered a draft regulations for the re -use of treated wastewater, through a “reconnaissance” platform.
This is with the aim of regulating the reuse of this water in a way that achieves environmental and health safety, and takes into account the requirements of sustainable development, while identifying the organizational and control tasks for each party, and imposing strict penalties on violators, amounting to 600 thousand riyals.

A comprehensive ban and accurate control tasks

At the beginning of the regulations, the ministry stressed the prohibition of using the inappropriate wastewater for any purpose, or directly draining it to the environment, due to the grave risks it poses to public health and the ecosystem.

She emphasized that the responsibility for setting technical and environmental standards to reuse treated water lies with the ministry, while the specialized center will define environmental monitoring controls and indicators before draining to the environmental environment.
The regulation indicated that the irrigation institution is responsible for monitoring the use of this water and ensuring that it matches the standards, provided that the ministry is notified as soon as any violation is monitored.
Direct clouds were prevented from treated water causes, whether using pumps or tanks, without prior permit. The list considered this behavior a threat to environmental safety, as it opens the door for the use of water in illegal or unsafe ways.

Detailed controls for the use of treated water

The Ministry has determined the quality of the purposes in which the treated water can be used based on the degree of treatment. In the case of dual treated water, it is allowed to be used in only four cases that include restricted agricultural irrigation, industrial purposes, mining activities, and construction work, provided that they are verified to conform to standards before use.

In the case of triple treated water, the regulations allow its use for all purposes except for drinking water, home uses, food industries, mobilization of drinking water, and using them in chilts designated for drinking water, and planting root, tuber and paper plants that are eaten raw or direct contact with water. The Ministry confirmed that every use must be conditional on a laboratory analysis and prior approval, in order to preserve public health and safety of products.

Regulating the use of wells surrounding the treatment estuaries

The regulation has devoted a full chapter to regulate the use of well water in the vicinity of the treated water escort. The Ministry stressed that the use of this water in agriculture should exclude the root, tuber and paper plants that are eaten raw or direct contact with the water.
The farmers were obliged to conduct chemical and microbiological laboratory analyzes every three months in an approved laboratory, and to provide results to the ministry, with an immediate stopping of water use in the event that it is proven that they are not identical.
When using it as a water source, the regulations prevented its use completely in drinking, household items, food industries, mobilization of drinking water, or in drinking chills. Its use allowed it only in unsalled chicks, provided that the standards specified for this category.

Violations and penalties

Anyone who uses wastewater is not treated for any purpose, whether agricultural, industrial or construction, shall be punished with a fine of no less than 400 thousand riyals and not exceeding 600 thousand riyals, and the violation is referred to the Public Prosecution, and the punishment is applied to the higher limit in the event of repetition.
A fine of no less than 200 thousand riyals and not exceeding 300 thousand riyals is imposed on everyone who uses the wastewater treated for drinking purposes, household uses, or food industries, and the violation is referred to the Public Prosecution upon repetition.
Those who use the treated wastewater as a source of water for drinking for drinking water or as a source of water factories packed with a fine starting from 100 thousand riyals and up to 200 thousand riyals is a maximum, and the violation of the Public Prosecution is referred upon repetition.
A fine ranging between 40 thousand and 80 thousand riyals is imposed on everyone who uses dual -treated water for the purposes allocated to it without making sure that it matches the re -use standards approved by the ministry.
Those who use the treated water are paid for the purposes allocated to them before checking their conformity with the approved standards of a fine of no less than 30 thousand riyals and not exceeding 70 thousand riyals.
He signed those who use the water surrounding water with the treatment of treated water for drinking purposes, household uses, or food industries, a fine of no less than 100 thousand riyals and not more than 200 thousand riyals, with immediate stopping of use, and in the event of no stopping, the punishment is applied to the highest limit, and the violation of the Public Prosecution is referred in the event of repetition.
A fine starts from 80 thousand riyals and up to 100 thousand riyals is imposed on those who use well water in the vicinity of the estuary as a source of drinking chills or water mobilization factories, while immediately stopping use, and the violation is referred to the Public Prosecution if the violation is repeated or not complied.

In the event that the water water near the course of the estuaries is used in the cultivation of root, paper or tuber plants that are eaten raw and are on a direct contact with the water, a fine of not less than 100 thousand riyals is imposed and does not exceed 200 thousand riyals.
A fine ranging between 60 thousand and 80 thousand riyals is imposed in the event of the use of treated wastewater, which is distributed by the General Organization for Irrigation, in the cultivation of root, paper or tuber plants that are eaten raw and immediately contact with the water.
Anyone who directly withdraws from the estuary of any purpose, whether using pumps or tanks, or transports the water disposal from the estuary and re -use it in any way, with a fine ranging between 20 thousand riyals and 40 thousand riyals.
In the event that chemical and microbiological analyzes are not performed every three months of wells water in the vicinity of the estuary, or continuing to use them despite their lack of conformity to the standards, a fine of no less than 10 thousand riyals and not exceeding 30 thousand riyals is imposed.
Also, everyone who uses the water of the wells surrounding the estuary is also applied as a source of drinking chicken, despite the lack of conformity of the results of the analyzes, the same fine, which ranges between 10 thousand and 30 thousand riyals, while immediately stopping use.
It applies to everyone who violates the Ministry’s requirements regarding periodic samples analyzes, or provides false or forged results, the fine itself, and the use is stopped immediately, and the extent of the need to refer to the Public Prosecution is considered if the violation is associated with deliberate misinformation.
Lack of compliance with technical controls and safety standards when injecting the treated water into the groundwater layers is a violation of the perpetrator of the penalty determined by the ministry according to the seriousness of the damage, and it is tightened if this is done without obtaining the necessary license.
The ministry stresses that all these violations, especially those related to reuse, without making sure of the conformity or without a permit, are strictly treated, and are followed up in the field through the regulatory authorities, and the punishment is doubled in the event of repetition or causing severe environmental or health damage.