The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Metrological and Environmental Protection Administration and the Coast Guards jointly conducted the study of the Kingdom’s coast.

A recent royal decree banned the possession of land by the seaside. The decree further stated that development projects could only take place at least 400 meters away from the coast. Even though there are regulations in place protecting the environment, many construction companies and investors are known to violate them.

Naif Shalhoub, an environmental awareness expert, said, “The problem has emerged from rapidly increasing projects on the coast, especially by the Red Sea. These have not left any space for the public to go and enjoy the Kingdom’s coast.”

He added that laws have been passed to provide solutions. “There needs to be further regulations of seaside investments,” he said.

Ibrahim Al-Fahmi, a member of the National Plan for Sea Pollution, said that many seaside projects negatively affect the environment due to the solid and liquid waste that is dumped there.

Al-Fahmi added that the old planning of the Saudi seaside was inappropriate and did not take the environment into consideration.

He added that the authorities should limit the number of coastal investments and should not renew contracts with some existing projects. These areas, he said, should be turned into open areas for the public to enjoy.

Ali Ishqi, a marine environment expert and lecturer in marine science at the King Abdul Aziz University, said that the Red Sea and the Gulf Bay are negatively impacted by seaside investments. “These projects are contributing to the decrease of marine life,” he said.

He added that the issue is dangerous and is threatening marine life and the coastal environment. “The issue should be acknowledged and resolved soon before it gets out of control,” he stressed, adding that the Kingdom has 2,200 kilometers of seaside and only four percent is open to the public.

Turki ibn Naser, president of the Metrological and Environmental Protection Administration, said that the current regulations for seaside investment are old and that now a royal order has been issued to provide a solution to the problem.

He added that around 80 percent of privately owned land by the seaside are undeveloped. “Now with the new regulations, owners cannot build on their land unless they are 400 meters away from the seaside,” he said.