KUWAIT: The Kuwait Diving Team, operating under the Environmental Voluntary Foundation (EVF), has successfully completed the first phase of a major coastal cleanup campaign at Ushairij, removing eight tons of marine debris including plastic waste, abandoned fishing nets, wood, iron, barrels and tires. The waste posed a serious threat to both marine navigation and the coastal environment.

Team leader Waleed Al-Fadhel told KUNA on Wednesday that the initiative comes as part of the team’s participation in activities marking International Mother Earth Day, observed annually on April 22. He noted that Ushairij is considered a vital ecological zone in the southern Kuwait Bay, serving as a sanctuary for wildlife and a key stopover site for migratory birds traveling between North Asia and Africa. The area also encompasses the Umm Al-Naml Island Nature Reserve and holds historical significance for Kuwait.

Al-Fadhel indicated that cleanup efforts would continue over the coming days due to the significant volume of waste collected, emphasizing the need for joint efforts to restore the area’s natural state. He stressed that the team’s coastal cleanup projects, which have been ongoing since its establishment in 1986, remain a core objective and align with the United Nations Environment Program’s “Clean Seas” initiative, aimed at combatting marine pollution and preserving marine ecosystems. The team is preparing to submit a detailed report of its activities to the UNEP Regional Office for West Asia, based in Beirut. Al-Fadhel highlighted the team’s rapid response mechanism, which involves immediate coordination with government entities and volunteers upon receiving reports of pollution.

He also noted that in the past four months, the team has carried out several cleanup operations along the Kuwaiti coastline, including in East Al-Judayliyyat, Sulaibikhat, Kuwait Towers, Al-Salam, Nuwaiseeb, Al-Zour, Bnaider and Khiran. Al-Fadhel urged the public, especially beachgoers, to support efforts to preserve the marine environment, stressing its importance as both a livelihood resource and a natural attraction. He also called for enhanced environmental monitoring and stricter enforcement by relevant authorities to deter violations.

He extended his gratitude to the government bodies supporting the initiative, particularly the Environment Public Authority, the General Directorate of Coast Guard, the Kuwait Ports Authority, Kuwait Municipality, and the Public Authority for Agricultural and Fish Resources, as well as private sector partners and individual volunteers. Al-Fadhel concluded by praising the government’s proactive environmental measures in the Ushairij and Kuwait Bay areas, including the removal of the former fishing village and port, reduction of industrial activity, and restrictions on overfishing — efforts that have significantly improved coastal conditions and restored natural water flow and sand movement in the area. — KUNA