The Doha Environmental Actions Project (Deap Qatar) has honored 1,610 volunteers who took part in a series of clean-up campaigns at beaches across the country, Gulf-Times reports.
“This is a small tribute to the 1,610 volunteers, who supported our efforts to inspire the public to take action against plastic pollution in Qatar during the past year,” the environmental group said in a post on its social media pages. “Despite being a very challenging year, with your help, we completed 67 clean-ups, where we removed 18 tonnes of trash from Qatar’s beaches, sand dunes, and heritage sites.”
“Words are not enough to show our gratitude and appreciation to all the incredible volunteers, companies, and schools that make our efforts possible,” the group stressed.
“Thanks to HE Sheikha Al Mayassa for her incredible leadership, to @albaladiya for their continuous support, to all the people that want to see Qatar clean and beautiful for many years to come; thank you,” Deap Qatar added. “We still have a lot of work to do, so we hope to see you soon on season 5.”
Since its foundation in 2017, Deap Qatar has spearheaded the fight against plastic pollution in the country, organizing beach clean-ups to raise awareness on the dangers of plastic pollution and inspiring people to take action.
This year, the group held clean-up drives at different locations, including Zekreet and Al Thakira in March, in partnership with various government institutions (such as Qatar Museums and the Ministry of Municipality and Environment) and non-governmental bodies, embassies of different countries, expatriate communities, and businesses.
Deap Qatar noted that over eight mn tonnes of plastic enter the oceans around the globe annually, killing a large number of marine animals and seabirds.
However, the group stressed that such a problem could be fixed with a concerted effort by individuals and groups.
While Deap Qatar is set to restart its weekly activities next month, it urged visitors to do their share and help maintain the natural beauty of beaches in the country by properly disposing of their wastes.
Volunteers who want to take part in clean-up drives are advised to follow COVID-19 protocols such as wearing masks and showing of “green” health code on their Ehteraz app, among other measures, in addition to bringing their own gloves (work or gardening gloves are recommended), and dressing up appropriately.
Besides beach clean-ups, Deap Qatar supports several youth initiatives, such as the Qatar Youth Power Conference in May.
It also organized a virtual talk dubbed as “Water for World Water Day” in March, in collaboration with the US embassy in Doha as part of the Qatar-USA 2021 Year of Culture.You may read about Oman diving teams spreading awareness on environmental protection here.
