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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Keep public spaces clean, do not litter

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Muscat, Oct 25 - Oman is blessed with lot of parks, walkways, beaches and stadiums for the people to lead a healthy lifestyle. However, some people are least bothered about keeping it clean. Their negligence and littering make it unusable for others, and raise the cost of maintenance of these facilities. During a visit to the Muscat Club in Wadi Kabir, Observer found that the lights are on even during day time, leaky water pipes, dirty toilets and premises, damaged flush, and broken doors.


“The people who use these facilities are to be blamed for dirtying”, says Sulaiman al Salti, Member of the Administration committee the Bausher Club.


“Both players and spectators, people who use these grounds for jogging, and trainers have equal responsibility to keep these grounds clean”, said Sulaiman.


The Ministry of Sports Affairs and Muscat Municipality have deputed workers to keep these grounds tidy. Still the grounds are far from being clean. “Wadis are yet another eyesore where huge piles of plastic bottles, bags, grill charcoal remains and food waste attract flies and dogs,” Ahmed al Subhi, a naval officer who visits these areas every weekend to clean up said.

The sports grounds in the country are rented out for events or for training purposes to private parties. They feel the onus of cleaning the grounds are not with them but with the people designated to do the maintenance.


“We need to have a strategy of collecting money as deposit from organisers who hire the grounds for their events. The Muscat Municipality collects money for using Qurum Amphitheatre from the organisers as security deposit. I will be reimbursed if the ground is not littered and no furniture damaged. This strategy can be applied to all the grounds in the country as well,” Sulaiman said.


Kabeer Yousuf


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