(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Muscat- Littering and sound pollution are two major problems faced by desert camps in Bidiyah. The sound of quad-bikes and other 4WDs undertaking stunts at night often disturbs the serenity of the place. Garbage strewn by tourists who stay at the camps is an eyesore too.
Hamdan Ali al Hajri, owner of Arabian Oryx Camp said, 'We have guests who come to cherish the silence because it is now a rare thing in the city. You do not get such an ambience even in villages now. That is why most of the desert camps are such a hit as they are far from the maddening crowd. But, sadly people drive around at night and kill the tranquility.'
Littering is another serious issue that needs immediate redressal. 'It is embarrassing to see food packets, bottles, cigarette packs strewn all over especially in the morning when we take guests to watch the sunrise over the dunes. Many guests take garbage pictures and post them on social media sites. This is bad for our business. Our reputation takes a hit without any fault of ours.'
An official from the Bidiyah camp said, 'We have reported the matter to concerned officials and the Ministry of Tourism (MoT). They have assured us of action. The litter is not only bad for tourism but also the environment. In either case, we are losing on the business front and damaging the environment. 'We camp owners help each other in curbing noise. Camp owners regularly conduct clean-up drives. We are committed to preserving the sanctity of our deserts.'
Matthias, a German tourist said he was shocked to see garbage strewn all over the place this time. 'This has been my second visit to Oman with my wife. I am shocked to see how people have littered the place. It look so ugly when we saw soft drink cans and food leftovers in the morning when we went up the dunes to see sunrise. We come to see bright stars in the sky in a peaceful area but everything is destroyed by the loud noises of vehicles.'
Mohammad Rashid al Hajri, a volunteer and a member of the Sharqiyah Sands Volunteers said that garbage management is a difficult task. 'I have been cleaning the deserts for the last 15 years. We also conduct regular awareness camps from October to March. It is, however, impossible to cover the huge area. It is next to impossible to track people throwing garbage.
'One idea can be to have big and strong garbage bins that can withstand both sandstorms and animals. Another idea is to have monitoring campaigns in the desert to track littering.'
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