Article 8 of the Saudi Environment Law
المادة 8 من نظام البيئة · الفصل الثاني: الأوساط البيئية والموارد المائية وحمايتها
The article imposes six obligations on permit and license holders whose activities may give off emissions or pollutants, including monitoring, periodic reports, environmental auditing and rehabilitation.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
على كل من المصرح له والمرخص له الذي يمارس أنشطة قد يصدر منها انبعاثات أو ملوثات، أو التي قد تؤثر في الأوساط البيئية؛ الالتزام بالآتي:
1- الاشتراطات والضوابط والإجراءات والمقاييس والمعايير البيئية؛ التي تحددها اللوائح.
2- اتخاذ الإجراءات والتدابير اللازمة عند الاقتراب من تجاوز المقاييس البيئية؛ وفقاً لما تحدده اللوائح.
3- وضع برامج وأجهزة للرصد والقياس والرقابة على جودة الأوساط البيئية، وفقاً لما تحدده اللوائح.
4- تزويد الجهة المختصة -بصفة دورية- بالبيانات والتقارير المتعلقة بالانبعاثات أو الملوثات الصادرة عن أنشطته؛ لمراجعتها ومطابقتها، وتحديد تجاوزات المقاييس والمعايير والاشتراطات، وذلك وفقاً لما تحدده اللوائح.
5- تزويد الجهة المختصة بدراسة التدقيق البيئي، وفقاً لما تحدده اللوائح.
6- إعادة تأهيل الأوساط البيئية المتدهورة جراء ممارسته لأنشطته، وفقاً لما تحدده اللوائح.
وتحدد الجهة المختصة الأنشطة المشار إليها في هذه المادة.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 8 explained in plain English
This article addresses a specific group: the permit holder and license holder who carry out activities that may give off emissions or pollutants, or may affect the environmental media. The competent authority specifies these activities.
It imposes six obligations on them, all as the regulations determine:
- Complying with the environmental requirements, controls, procedures, standards and criteria.
- Taking the necessary measures and steps when approaching exceeding the environmental standards, that is, before the exceedance occurs and not after.
- Setting up programs and devices for monitoring, measuring and controlling the quality of the environmental media.
- Providing the competent authority periodically with data and reports on the emissions or pollutants from his activities, for it to review and match them and identify exceedances.
- Providing the competent authority with the environmental audit study.
- Rehabilitating the environmental media degraded as a result of carrying out his activities.
The article does not itself set the values of the standards, the dates of the reports, or the form of the audit study; all of that is referred to the regulations. It elaborates the general obligation in Article 4 to follow the conditions of the permit or license, and complements the prohibition of pollution in Article 6. Establishments that need to understand their obligations precisely can consult a lawyer specialized in environmental laws.
Practical example
A cement factory in the Eastern Province holds a license and notices from its monitoring devices that its emissions are approaching the permitted limit. Under Article 8, it must take the necessary measures immediately, before exceeding it, and must provide the competent authority with the periodic data and reports as the regulations determine.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 8 of the Saudi Environment Law
Must an establishment act before exceeding the environmental standards?
Yes. The article requires taking the necessary measures and steps when approaching exceeding the environmental standards, as the regulations determine.
Who specifies the activities bound by these obligations?
The competent authority specifies the activities referred to in the article.
Must the owner of an activity repair the environmental damage he caused?
Yes. One of his obligations is rehabilitating the environmental media degraded as a result of carrying out his activities, as the regulations determine.
Are emission reports submitted just once?
No. The article provides for providing the competent authority with data and reports periodically.
More articles on Pollution and Emissions
- Article 6
The article prohibits anything that would pollute or harm the environmental media and water resources, or negatively affect their use, as the regulations determine.
يُحظر القيام بكل ما من شأنه تلويث الأوساط البيئية والموارد المائية، أو الإضرار بهما، أو التأثير سلباً في الانتفاع بهما؛ وذلك وفقاً لما تحدده اللوائح.
- Article 7
The article prohibits exploiting, transporting, storing, selling or promoting natural resources and their products within the Kingdom's territory without a permit or license.
يُحظر استغلال أو نقل أو تخزين أو بيع أو الترويج لأيّ من الموارد الطبيعية ومنتجاتها الموجودة في إقليم المملكة الذي يشمل أراضيها -بما في ذلك الجزر- ومجالها الجوي،
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.