Salalah – Oman Environmental Services Holding Company -be'ah- has reported an increase in municipal solid waste in Dhofar during the ongoing khareef season. 

According to the latest data, be’ah received 34,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste at its facilities across the governorate’s wilayats in July 2024, marking a 20% increase compared to the same period last year. In July 2023, the daily average was around 923 tonnes, which rose to 1,107 tonnes in July 2024.

Khareef 2024 is expected to attract over 1mn visitors to Dhofar, a substantial increase from last year’s 962,000 visitors, according to the National Centre for Statistics and Information. The influx of visitors has led to a surge in waste production, presenting a challenge for municipal waste management operations.

To address these challenges, be’ah’s operations team in Dhofar developed a comprehensive waste management plan in preparation for 2024 khareef. 

Early preparations involved collaboration with service providers and municipal waste sector management teams. This included provision of 3,000 additional containers to meet the growing demand and replacing damaged ones, with 1,400 of these containers specifically allocated for tourist sites.

The plan also introduced new waste collection routes for 2024 khareef. In July, additional manpower and equipment, totalling 142 units, were deployed to ensure the smooth and safe collection and transport of waste from containers in all areas of the governorate, including tourist sites. 

The waste is transported to a transfer station in Raysut and ultimately to an engineered landfill in Thumrait for disposal according to international environmental standards.

In July alone, the driving distance for waste management operations reached 527,673km, with no reported accidents.

In 2024, be’ah launched an awareness campaign in Dhofar – called ‘No’ – aimed at raising environmental awareness among visitors and local communities. The campaign is built around the concept of saying “No” to inappropriate environmental behaviours. 

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