4 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

Protecting the environment is one of the main priorities in Oman. Therefore, the Ministry of Environment & Climate Affairs was established as the main governmental authority responsible for the protection of the environment in Oman. There are many laws for environment protections in Oman of which the law on Conservation of Environment and Prevention of Pollution is the main one. This law was issued in 1982 and amended in 2001 (MECA, 2001a).

According to this law, no establishment of any source or area of work shall be started before obtaining an environmental permit confirming its environmental soundness. This also includes the aquaculture projects.
There are many executive by-laws from the main environmental law. One of them is specialized for organizing the Issuance of Environmental Approvals and the Final Environmental Permit (MECA, 2001b).
This regulation covers all the industrial projects including the aquaculture projects. It detailed the necessary requirements and the approval system for an Environmental Impact Study (EIA). According to these regulations, the industrial establishments have been classified into three categories according to the materials used in production, production capacity and the degree of their impact on the adjacent environment.

Each category has its own environmental conditions according to the level of environmental impact arising from its construction and operation. Aquaculture projects are classified in the third category, which requires more detailed study of EIA.
The owner of the any establishment (including an aquaculture establishment) shall apply to the Ministry of Environment & Climate Affairs (MECA) for Environmental approval. An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study should be submitted with the application and the ministry official shall inspect the proposed site to determine the environmental conditions that must be fulfilled. The preliminary approval is given to the establishment to commence the construction process. The approval shall include specifications about environmental conditions to be fulfilled prior to starting operations and shall be valid for one year, renewable for a similar period. The final environmental permit is given to the establishment after fulfillment of the conditions stated in the preliminary environmental approval and shall be valid for two years and renewable for a same period or other specified period.
A guideline for the EIA study for aquaculture projects is detailed in the investment guideline for aquaculture in Oman (MAF, 2015). The study should include a full baseline survey for the site and areas that may be impacted by the project’s operation. Impacts of the projects will be detailed in the study with the corrective measures. A complete monitoring plan, which can be undertaken internally and be monitored by an external agency, should be detailed also in the study.
A complete list of all chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and other substances for use on the project will be submitted with details of risks of use. The investor will also submit a risk assessment analysis for the operation of the project with a “what if” scenario developed for a worst case position.
There are fees against the issuance of the environmental approval and the final environmental permit.
Depending on its nature of activities, as evaluated by the Competent Authority, the establishment shall be bound to conduct an Environmental Audit (EA) by specialized companies approved by the Sultanate according to the requirement of the ISO 14000 series for the environmental management system, every two years from the date of receiving their final environmental permits.
For aquaculture projects, there is an agreement between the Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries and the Ministry of Environment & Climate Affairs (MECA) that the EIA study submits first to the Directorate of Aquaculture Development which will evaluate the study and after that, the applicant gives the study to MECA.