‘New public hygiene law more comprehensive’

The Director of General Cleanness Department, Safar Al Shafi, has stressed that the promulgation of Law No. 18 of 2017 on Public Hygiene and Cleaning has been enacted in a timely manner. 

“There is an all-inclusive and unparalleled constructional and developmental renaissance in the country which requires amending the law to cope with such renaissance including public hygiene and cleaning services and environmental health of course,” Al Shafi said in an exclusive interview with The Peninsula. 

He added that the new Law has much in common with the objectives of the previous Law and is even considered a complementary enactment thereof. 

“Accordingly, one may say that the new law is more comprehensive and largely fulfils the developments of the current and future eras as well as the behavioural changes usually taking place within the context of social mobility due to the demographic, economic and cultural variables and the different cultures adopted by the segments of the society in Qatar.” 

“We must here refer to the efforts exerted by H E Muhammad bin Abdullah Al Rumaihi, Minister of Municipality and Environment,” said Al Shafi.  Adding that the Minister kept on following up and sponsoring this endeavour until it has been promptly referred to the Cabinet which approved it in its integrated form. He said that finally, the law has been ratified by H H Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. 

The new public hygiene law No 18 of 2017 stipulates a fine of QR300 to QR6,000, according to the nature and severity of violation under the conciliation, said Safar Al Shafi.

The minimum fine QR300 is imposed on releasing waste water on roads and QR6,000; the maximum fine for dumping solid waste of construction, demolition or excavation on unauthorised places, Al Shafi said. 

“However, the inspectors are armed with special powers to decide whether the violations are reconcilable or the violators should be referred to police and court in case the violations cause serious harm,” added Al Shafi.

Giving an example, he said, like overflow of manhole invites a fine of QR1,000 but if the inspector catches a violation of manhole-overflow involving release of plenty of waste water affecting big areas, the violator will be sent to the court that stipulates hefty fine and jail sentence.

“The serious violations will be referred to court where the law imposes fine up to QR25,000 and stipulates one year jail sentence as maximum,” said Al Shafi.

He said that the fine for throwing tissue papers and spitting on road and public places is increased from QR200 to QR500. “The fine for littering on beaches was QR100 but now the violators have to pay QR500. Fine for washing vehicles at unauthorized places invites fine QR300 earlier it was only QR100. The fine for hanging cloths on balcony that overlooking on road or public places is increased from QR300 to QR500.”

He said that the Ministry of Municipality and Environment is waging a massive campaign through local media, radio and social networking sites to educate citizens and expatriates about new public hygiene law.
“We are placing billboards at roadsides and other public places in different languages including Arabic, English, Urdu, Hindi and other,” said Al Shafi.

“The Law also assists in eliminating the additional efforts of the Public Cleanness Department due to the continuous cleaning of the wastes which are thrown away in a random, irresponsible and illegal manner,” Al Shafi added.

Al-Shafi pointed that he new Law is severer in addressing the violations which impede the provision of public hygiene services on an around-the-clock basis. 

“This is manifested in applying its provisions which range between imprisonment, levying fines or both penalties as set out in Article No. 15 of the Law. There are violations where conciliation is strictly prohibited,” said Al Shafi adding that with respect to the reasons for the variations of fines under the Law, out that this is a natural matter in accordance with the seriousness of the violation. 

The value of violations ranges between QR300 (releasing waste water from washing in public roads) and QR6000 (leaving, spilling or eliminating the wastes of building or demolition and solid excavations in unauthorized places). 

He indicated that increasing financial collections is not the objective of the Law, but we noticed that the penalty fines of the previous Law have been very low. 

About the role of control organizations in applying the Law and the success thereof, Safar Al Shafi said that the new cleaning Law has been especially promulgated to assist inspectors in their work adding that this Law directly targets at realizing success with respect to the hygienic operations and achieving its objectives so that our residential areas shall reach the required level. 

The Director of the Public Cleanness Department said that the total number of the Articles of the new Law are 20. “They have observed the requirements of the current and future eras as well as the behavioral changes usually taking place within the context of social mobility because of the population increase especially with respect to the expatriate labor force which has various cultures and habits.”

Al Shafi noted that pursuant to the new Law, violations and penalties have become severer and stricter than the previous Law No. 8 of 1974. “Penalty fines start from QR300 up to QR6000 depending on the type of violation and damage, provided that the reasons for the violation shall be eliminated.” 

Al Shafi said that as for penalties in case no conciliation has been figured out, they include 4 procedures depending on the type of violation and pursuant to Article No. 15 of the Law: A term of up to 1 year imprisonment and penalty fines which shall not exceed twenty five thousand (QR25,000) or one of these penalties, a term of up to six months’ imprisonment and penalty fines which shall not exceed ten thousand (QR10,000) or one of these penalties.

“The law also includes penalty fines which shall not exceed twenty five thousand (QR25,000), penalty fines which shall not exceed ten thousand (QR10,000),” said Al Shafi. 

He said that he severe penalties of this Law shall be deterrent for the violator and contribute to minimizing malpractices towards the environment. 

The new Law prohibits throwing, leaving or disposing of wastes in public places. On the subject of determination of public places by the Law, he said that Public places are the venues visited by the public in their capacity as public utilities such as gardens, parks, sea beaches, cornice, malls, yards, and public squares. “Taking into consideration that these are common places visited by the public at any time, they may be misused by leaving wastes especially during vacations and occasions.” 

“Wastes may be thrown in streets taking into account that they are public utilities. The Law must protect all these public facilities against transgression so that the environment and overall look of cities shall not be jeopardized”, said Al Shafi. 

Under Article No. 5, it is prohibited to leave animals or birds move or pass through public places. On the importance of this Article, he said if animals such as camels, mules, horses and sheep are left wandering in public places or streets, they shall convert these places into grazing areas where they shall leave behind dung and other wastes which are harmful to the environment and the public hygiene. Besides, they affect the plans and programs of public hygiene in the respective area. 

Al Shafi noted that With respect to Article No. 13 of the Law which obliges owners of unusable lands and non-habitable or abandoned buildings to preserve cleanliness in order to maintain the cultural appearance of vacant lands and buildings. It is well known that abandoned buildings, vacant and unfenced plots of lands, especially amidst residential areas, are almost always subject to throwing wastes whether on the part of passers-by or surrounding neighbours. 

On how does the new law deal with violators, Safar Al Shafi said, the law is very clear with respect to addressing hygienic contraventions. “There is a gradual procedure in some violations such as serving a warning, levying fines and referring the matter to the court in case it has been impossible to apply the Law (conciliation),” he said adding that here are less dangerous violations on which a conciliation may be reached based on the request of the violator instead of lodging a lawsuit against him. “The concerned municipal departments shall collect fees in accordance with the administrative procedures.”