SHARJAH // A clean-up of Khalid Lagoon has recovered 1.3 tonnes of waste and litter.
About 70 divers braved the chilly waters and low visibility to salvage items including pipes, bottles, chairs, bicycles and tyres.
Divers from Sharjah Police, Sharjah Aquarium, scuba clubs and volunteers took part in the eighth annual Marine Environment Clean-Up Day.
Over in Abu Dhabi, the city’s municipality and the Abu Dhabi Centre for Waste Management helped to remove one tonne of waste from Yas Beach. They removed paper, plastic bags, metal and glass containers.
Before the clean-up in Sharjah commenced, organisers checked that the water was safe for diving and they cordoned off an area to avoid disrupting passing vessels.
In some cases, the divers resorted to using floats to lift heavy rubbish from the seabed to the surface.
“The fact that so much discarded waste and seabed litter was pulled ashore is testament to everyone’s hard work but also a worrying reflection of the health of our precious marine environment,” said Manal Ataya, head of Sharjah Museums Department (SMD).
Workers of Bee’ah, a waste management firm in Sharjah, were at the lagoon with boats, cranes and skips to safely store the recovered waste.
The haul was taken to Bee’ah’s headquarters for sorting, weighing and disposal.
Some of the recovered items were taken to Sharjah Aquarium, where they were made into marine-inspired sculptures by Shamil Maroharzeh, an artist known for making art from recycled materials.
Last year, SMD organised a clean-up of Al Mamzar Beach.
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