Muscat: Salim Mohammed al Mahrouqi, Minister of Heritage and Tourism issued a ministerial decision to form a Steering Committee for the management plan of Bahla Oasis and Fort site.
The decision states that the committee will be tasked with following up the enforcement of regulations to manage the site and the management plan. It also coordinates, supervises, and follows the plans, projects and programs of all departments concerned in the site.
In addition, the decision tasked the committee with taking measures to ensure the social, economic and environmental sustainability of the site. This can be achieved by finding suitable ways in tackling the challenges that may arise, especially overpopulation, the migration of the local community from the site, and the emergence of modern architecture, as well as the degradation of green landscapes as a result of building on farmlands and changing their uses. Another challenge is posed by draughts impacting the fort's site.
Those decisions come in view of the approach towards preserving the international remarkable value of the site, which has been registered within the World Heritage List in 1987. --ONA
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