“Troubled Waters” series, Sand dredger. Photo courtesy of: © Denis Delestrac
Excerpts;
A new law regulating the dredging of sand from the seabed stalled yesterday…
Under the the draft law, only authorised companies would be allowed to dredge sand and they would not be allowed to sell it outside Bahrain unless sanctioned by the concerned minister.
Sand prices would be calculated according to market prices every two years, although the Shura Council cancelled an article that stated dredging companies would have to make backdated payments due to the difficulty in making calculations.
Dredgers would have to compensate any damages to the environment or facilities in the sea, with those exceeding permitted amounts would have the extra sand seized by the government.
Under the draft law, violating the new law would carry a jail term to be determined by a court or a fine of between BD50,000 and BD100,000, or both. If repeated, the punishment would be doubled…
Read Full Article, Dredging Today
Law To Clamp Down On Sand Dregding, Gulf Daily News
A law to regulate the dredging of sand from the seabed will be introduced in Bahrain for the first time… (02-12-2013)
Environmental Impacts of Marine Sand Mining in the Kingdom of Bahrain, by Asma A. Ababussain, Anwar S. Abdo, Nader A. Mossa, Ali J. Al-Hessabi, Kuwait University
Analysis of the data and environmental indicators show that mining of marine sand for economic development in Bahrain leads to degradation of the fragile marine ecosystems during dredging, transportation and washing operations, especially the environmentally sensitive ecosystems as well as its biodiversity and habitats…
