Sohar: On Sunday, the Environment Authority revealed the winners of the Environmental Excellence Hackathon taking place in the North Al Batinah Governorate.
During a two-day event, enthusiastic youth and tech innovators from across Oman actively participated in the hackathon.
Dr. Saif Abdullah Al Haddabi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation for Research and Innovation, sponsored the event, which was also attended by His Dr. Abdullah Ali Al Amri, the Chairman of the Environment Authority.
The top honor went to the project "Naqa for Active Carbon," with "Stark" following in second place, while "Bio Power" earned the third position.
Nizar Salem Al Fannah Al Araimi, who directs the Environment Department in North Al Batinah, remarked that the hackathon's purpose was to cultivate innovative technological solutions for environmental issues, motivating and supporting youth and developers in environmental sectors, and fostering initiatives to create intelligent applications, platforms, and solutions addressing ecological challenges. He noted that the event drew in leading programmers, prominent companies, job seekers, and postgraduate scholars.
He pointed out that throughout the 48-hour competition, participants showcased their inventive solutions to pressing environmental issues by sharing ideas, creating prototypes, and developing applications or projects aimed at enhancing the environment. The hackathon concentrated on vital topics, such as challenges related to vegetation and wildlife and efforts to safeguard natural resources from pollution.
Al Araimi further explained that various environmental challenges were tackled during the hackathon, including issues like coastal erosion, climate change, cyclones, rising temperatures, invasive species, encroachment on wildlife, desertification, and overgrazing.
At the conclusion of the event, the "Masar" platform was introduced, aimed at monitoring performance metrics of environmental management personnel in North Al Batinah. The closing ceremony also included presentations addressing environmental concerns and a panel discussion focused on the impact of climate change on communities.
