Ministry urges owners to ensure cleanliness during camp removal

With a few more days remaining for the removal of camps, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoECC) has urged camp owners to keep campsites clean and ensure that the environment is not harmed. “When removing your camp, be sure to return the camping place as it was before in order to preserve the environment of Qatar and to ensure the continuity of the camping season in the coming years,” the ministry tweeted.“Cleanliness is a moral obligation and a civilised behaviour. Keep your place clean after the camping season is over. Ensure the cleanliness of your campsite to avoid legal liability and don’t forget to inform the relevant environmental unit to inspect the place to ensure its cleanliness,” it advised. “Let's all keep our beaches clean and our environment safe. Please maintain general cleanness, do not ignite charcoal directly on the sand and dispose of charcoal residues after grilling in a safe manner in special containers,” the ministry had said in an earlier tweet.The MoECC said it was working in co-ordination with the Ministry of Municipality to take the necessary legal measures against violators of environmental and general cleanliness laws.The camping season came to an end on May 2 while the deadline to remove camps is May 14. The deadline was set in order to provide campers with the opportunity to continue camping during the Eid al-Fitr holiday.While urging campers to dismantle and remove all camps by the deadline, the ministry has said specialised environmental teams will carry out inspections and follow-up operations after this date and take legal action in case of any violations.Beaches were among the key attractions during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, with a large number of people turning up at beaches around the country to celebrate the occasion.Earlier, the MoECC had announced that for the first time and in order to achieve community participation, it will issue a questionnaire to ascertain campers' opinions about the camping season and also conduct a study in co-operation with Qatar University on the social and environmental effects of camping.The study will address the negative effects on the environment, arising from the camping season, while assessing the impact on meadows, plants and wild animals, coasts and beaches. Also, it will analyse the impact of camp waste and sewage on the environment during the camping season, migration of birds, impact of camp waste and sanitation on the environment during the camping season and the impact of winter camping on the movement and reproduction of living creatures, especially non-compliance with environmental requirements in this regard, an official had explained.