Winners announced for North Al Batinah Environmental Excellence Hackathon

Sohar: The Environment Authority on Sunday announced the winners of the Environmental Excellence Hackathon in North Al Batinah Governorate.

The hackathon saw wide participation from innovative youth and technology enthusiasts across Oman over a two-day period.

The event was held under the patronage of Dr. Saif Abdullah Al Haddabi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation for Research and Innovation, and in the presence of His Dr. Abdullah Ali Al Amri, Chairman of the Environment Authority.

The project "Naqa for Active Carbon" secured first place, while "Stark" came in second, and "Bio Power" took third place.

Nizar Salem Al Fannah Al Araimi, Director of the Environment Department in North Al Batinah, stated that the hackathon aimed to develop creative and technological solutions for environmental challenges, support and encourage youth and developers in the environmental field, and promote innovations to create smart solutions, platforms, and applications to address environmental issues. He highlighted that the event attracted top programmers, leading companies, job seekers, and postgraduate students.

He added that over 48 hours, participants presented innovative solutions to specific environmental problems by exchanging ideas, designing prototypes, and building applications or projects aimed at environmental improvement. The hackathon focused on key themes, including vegetation and wildlife challenges, as well as preserving natural resources from pollution.

Al Araimi explained that the hackathon addressed several environmental challenges, such as coastal erosion, climate change, cyclones, rising temperatures, invasive birds and plants, wildlife encroachment, desertification, and overgrazing.

The closing ceremony featured the launch of the "Masar" platform, designed to track performance indicators for environmental management staff in North Al Batinah, along with presentations on environmental issues and a panel discussion on climate change and its impact on communities.