ABU DHABI: More than 957 kilogrammes of marine debris waste were collected in just four hours during an underwater clean-up campaign organised by the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi, EAD. The campaign was in coordination with the Emirates Diving Association, EDA, and other partners at the Mina Port near the Fishermen’s Wharf.

Professional divers volunteered from several governmental and private entities, in addition to a number of licensed divers from different parts of the country who participated in collecting the marine debris in the water.

The campaign is one of a series of clean-up initiatives planned by the EAD under the theme ‘Together We Make The Difference’ in 2018 to mark the Year of Zayed, to clean beaches, diving sites, deserts and other habitats in different locations of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The campaign’s aim is to lead a safe, clean and healthy environment, promoting environmental awareness.

Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, Secretary-General of EAD, said, “This initiative is one of the many other initiatives we are launching this year, to commemorate the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the UAE. The initiative emphasises the principles he advocated to protect the environment and natural heritage which is an important part of the UAE and the lives of its citizens and residents.”

 “This campaign will not be the last, there are other campaigns to be organised throughout the year to protect our diverse ecosystem – in the sea, the air, and the land – safe havens to live and thrive,” she added.

 Al Mubarak noted, “The Abu Dhabi Emirate has a wonderful mix of geological nature and valuable natural habitat and fragile species in both land and sea, which need protection. Saving our environment and fulfilling our obligations to the natural environment must be the responsibility of all of us, at all levels of society to maintain the beauty of the Emirate’s beautiful beaches, and cultural and heritage assets.”.

The clean-up campaign commenced at 7.30am, and continued for four hours at the Mina Port near the Fishermen’s Wharf. The area was cleared of marine debris and litter which otherwise would end up in the sea harming the UAE’s fragile biodiversity and affecting swimmers and fishermen’s livelihood.

Ahead of the clean-up, participants were given the necessary information and diving rules and conditions, and a detailed explanation of how to collect data on waste collected.

Over 50 divers who participated in the four-hour campaign ended with the removal of huge pile of debris from the seabed in fishing area. Overall, an estimated 957 kg of plastic bottles, aluminium cans, food wrapper containers, abandoned fishing lines, construction materials and many other marine debris were picked up.