'All efforts being made to ensure safe and healthy life in Oman'

Energy Sunday 21/July/2019 21:00 PM
By: Times News Service
'All efforts being made to ensure safe and healthy life in Oman'

Muscat: Oman has been kept safe and healthy, thanks to the efforts of the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources who have worked hard to provide road and water services and to ensure the quality of food.
According to the Ministry, during the year 2018, inspection teams issued almost 10 thousand warnings and closed more than 1,600 shops, as well as issuing 37, 865 food establishment licenses and 4,192 municipal licenses.
In a statement, the Ministry said that it issued licences and carried out a continuous programme of checks on the various types of establishments, in accordance with regulations.
The ministry official added: “In 2018, the total number of municipal licenses of all types was 42,057. The total number of health cards issued during the same period was more than 36,000. The Ministry is keen to strengthen its role in the control of various food establishments to ensure the health and safety of the consumer.”
The Ministry added: “The inspection campaign carried out by Ministry teams ensures the validity of foodstuffs offered for sale and that the processes of preparation and circulation conform to standard specifications as well as raising awareness of all the health requirements in force.”
Last year, the authority teams released more than 14,374 decisions to destroy items which were not fit for consumer use or human consumption.
The Ministry added: “During the past year, the Food and Water Laboratory Centre conducted tests on 23,572 samples to ensure the safety and validity of water and food for human consumption.”
In the Water Resources sector, the Ministry completed two dam projects last year and continues to maintain existing dams by removing sediments, cleaning up flood residues, lubricating dam openings, and installing or repairing new pumps.
The Ministry said “The Water Resources sector plays an active role in enhancing investment projects and providing infrastructure for them. The five-year development plans of the water sector have set out a number of objectives, including continuing assessment, developing water resources by exploring and continuing water studies and reducing the natural water losses by establishing a number of dams and other installations in different governorates.”
“The Ministry vision also seeks to protect cities, villages and infrastructure from the dangers of flooding by establishing protection dams in line with the requirements of climate change, ensuring balanced water use between sectors, rationalizing consumption and spreading awareness of the importance of conserving water resources.”
In 2018, the Ministry implemented a flood protection dam project in Sur city in South Sharqia Governorate. The storage capacity of the dam is estimated at 22 million cubic meters.
The Ministry also implemented a groundwater recharge dam on Wadi Al-Saleef in the Wilayat of Ibri in Al-Dhahirah Governorate with a storage capacity of up to one million cubic meters, in order to feed the groundwater reservoir for the development of water resources in the areas below the dam.
During 2018, the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources, paved about 855 km of internal roads and installed 1,079 lighting poles in various wilayats.
“The Ministry also carried out 98 development and beautification projects in various areas, which contributed to improving the aesthetic image of these states,” the official added.