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RAK EPDA Provides Over 52,000 Services to Customers July 16,2018

The Ras Al Khaimah Environment Protection and Development Authority (RAK EPDA) has provided 52,385 services to customers and the community, according to the Governance Report for the first half of 2018. EDPA’s report classified the services into 42 types-  seven of which are new - based on 23 jurisdictions of EDPA as stipulated in Law No. (2) of 2007 as well as its competence to regulate the fishing profession under Law No. (11) of 2015.

EDPA’s vision aims to create a safe sustainable environment and its mission to innovate and excel in the development of regulatory framework, the cultivation of awareness procedures, and to prepare law drafts based on specialized research programs that contribute to the protection of the environment and natural resources.

H.E. Dr. Saif Al Ghais, CEO of EPDA said: “The high quality services and high level of customer satisfaction achieved by the Authority during the first half of 2018 is the result of the interest of HH Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khalimah, in the environmental work and his deep belief in the need to make Ras Al Khaimah a sustainable emirate. HH Mohammed bin Saud Al Qasimi, Crown Prince of Ras Al Khaimah, Chairman of the Executive Council and Chairman of the Board, also spares no effort in following up on the commitment of industrial and professional establishments to environmental requirements.

The Authority issued, renewed and amended 2,808 environmental permits for industrial and professional establishments through its smart application, sparing investors the need to visit the Authority's headquarters and ensuring them ease in doing business. This number represents 86.7% of the total permits issued in 2017, which indicates an increasing interest of industrial and professional establishments in complying with the environmental requirements specified by the law.

The number of air quality measurement reports has also increased in different regions of Ras Al Khaimah (around industrial areas, inside crushers and cement factories, inside governmental and educational facilities and in homes). The total of air quality reports was 15,324 and the Authority is now monitoring air quality in the majority of industrial plants especially quarries and cement factories.”

Dr. Al Ghais added that during the first half of 2018, the Authority issued and renewed 75 recreational fishing licenses, 244 professional fishing licenses, and 193 amateur fishing licenses. In 2017, the Authority provided fishermen accommodation units for 1035 workers, 1186 fishing ports, and 458 fishing yards.

New Services
New services offered by the Authority included issuing 18 licenses for the use of underground wells; 339 No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for the licensing of tanks, 787 NOCs for import of chemicals, 80 NOCs for the export of chemicals and 12 NOCs for the transfer of used oils from the Ras Al Khaimah ports. The authority also delivered desalinated water to 100 farms for use in irrigation to avoid groundwater depletion in Al Ghail and Al-Hamraniyah areas.

Initiatives
The Authority has organized and launched 26 environmental conferences, community initiatives, lectures and environmental awareness activities, in addition to 24,707 awareness text messages addressed to various segments of the society. Furthermore, the Commission is keen to celebrate seven local and international environmental events and to inform the various social groups of their importance in preserving the environment and sustaining their resources. In the first half of 2018, 240 news users benefitted from the services of the Estidama smart phone application, raising the number of total user to 3,435 since the launch of this innovative application.

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