Saudi Gazette report

BAHA — The Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture restored an old wattles tree near Al-Aqiq Dam, Al-Watan reported.

Al-Aqiq Environment, Water and Agriculture Head Jamaan Al-Rifaie said vandals have tried to deface the tree by chopping at it and pouring diesel into it.

“The tree is located in Al-Naghrah Valley near Al-Aqiq Dam. During the Eid Holidays, many visitors to the area have vandalized the tree. The forest ranger in the area discovered the damage and reported it. We had to restore it by outrooting it and changing its soil as it was soaked in diesel. We replanted it in new soil,” said Al-Rifaie.

He added the directorate had also covered the chopped areas of the tree’s bark and have watered the tree again to ensure its health.

“We named the tree “Hayat” which means life in Arabic. Trees are very important to our environment and the incident has greatly disturbed the environmentalists in the country. The ministry’s job is to supervise valleys and forests and to prevent harm, natural and man-made, to nature. The ministry had a contract with a company of inspectors but the contract has expired and the ministry is in search for inspectors to keep the lands safe,” said Al-Rifaie.

Baha Environment, Water and Agriculture Head Saeed Al-Jaarallah said the ministry does inspect and protect natural areas with a focus on thick forests.

“In case of any violations, the inspectors record the violation and report it to the ministry. The ministry passes it on to a settlement committee to look into the violations case by case. The committee had already settled 25 violations and had penalized the violators,” said Al-Jaarallah.

Environmental Protection Committee Head Abdullah Mukanni said the committee is grateful for the ministry’s efforts.

“We have been looking into the case of environmental vandalism in Al-Aqiq Governorate. The governorate is one of the biggest governorates in Baha. We have scanned the greenery of the area and have put in place an awareness strategy to raise awareness of the importance of protecting the environment,” said Mukanni.