800 to take part in nationwide beach clean-up drive

More than 800 volunteers, including 300 divers, will take part in a nationwide beach clean-up campaign tomorrow.

Volunteers for Clean-Up Arabia, organised by the Emirates Diving Association, in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme and the Regional Office of West Asia, will pick up garbage from the beaches and around dive sites.

The campaign, the organisers said, tries to clean-up the marine environment as well as developing positive attitudes so people will maintain a clean environment through practice and participation.
Those participating include the Environmental Research and Wildlife Development Agency (Erwda), Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey (Adias), Al Mirfa Municipality, Marine Police, Rescue Department, Al Mirfa Hotel, the local fishing community and Al Masaood Marinesports.

In Abu Dhabi, divers and volunteers will take part in the dive, which is scheduled to take place around the Al Mirfa Fishing Port from 9am to 4pm.

Al Mirfa Municipality will organise the garbage area for trash removed from the water. The garbage will be gathered in one area and collected by trucks provided by the municipality. Where possible, the collected garbage is recycled.

The campaign is in line with the agency's mission to protect the marine environment and increase public awareness about the impact of pollution on marine habitats and biological resources, said Majid Al Mansouri, Erwda's secretary-general.

Divers and other volunteers will receive a special briefing from Adias on how to recognise underwater archaeological sites and material.