Riyadh Construction Sites Fined Over SAR 16M

Construction projects across Riyadh have been fined more than SAR 16 million for 557 violations of dust-control and environmental compliance requirements, following an enforcement campaign launched in February. The campaign covered over 3,000 field inspections of construction sites within the capital's urban boundaries.

The drive was carried out by the National Center for Environmental Compliance in cooperation with the Royal Commission for Riyadh City and Riyadh Municipality. Individual violations carried penalties of up to SAR 50,000 each under the mandatory dust-control regulations that apply to major projects.

Under the rules, construction projects with an area of 2,000 square metres or more must implement approved dust-control measures, install on-site air-quality monitoring devices linked to a unified platform, and submit periodic environmental reports. Non-compliance can lead to financial penalties and possible work stoppages.

What sites must do

Required measures include spraying dust suppressants and water to reduce particulate emissions, covering transport trucks and loads, washing truck tyres before vehicles leave sites, cleaning surrounding roads, and suspending dust-generating work during strong winds. Inspectors also monitor noise, vibration, oil spills, concrete slurry, wastewater, construction and demolition waste, soil contamination and water pollution.

Violations were detected through continuous field inspections, analysis of air-quality data from monitoring stations, citizen reports from neighbourhoods next to projects, and round-the-clock inspector rounds. Sites found in breach were ordered to stop dust sources and put corrective plans in place to prevent recurrence.

For residents living near the capital's busy construction corridors, the tighter enforcement is aimed at cutting airborne dust and improving day-to-day air quality across the city as building activity continues at pace.

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