By
Olivia Alabaster
BEIRUT:
Several thousand volunteers took part in the 15th Operation Big Blue Association’s
coastal cleanup Sunday, at beaches, cliff tops and underwater sites along
Lebanon’s shore. Originally due to be launched at Tripoli’s port, Sunday’s
event, held under the patronage of Prime Minister Najib Mikati, was inaugurated
at Raouche on Beirut’s Corniche, and Information Minister Walid Daouk spoke on
behalf of the prime minister.
Cleanup
operations in Tripoli and Akkar have been postponed due to the security
situation there but went ahead Sunday at some other 55 beaches, from Naqoura in
southern Lebanon to Jbeil and Batroun north of Beirut.
At
Raouche, Lebanese Army soldiers abseiled down the cliff face, picking up trash,
while small fishing boats circled Pigeon Rocks, their passengers collecting
garbage from the surface of the water.
There
were also 10 dive sites, where volunteers were due to collect trash from below
the surface, but because of strong currents and high waves, the dives have also
been postponed.
Iffat
Edriss, the president of OBBA, spoke to The Daily Star about the event and why it
was held at this time of year. “This is a very important time of year for
turtles and other marine life,” she said.
With
a group of other divers, Edriss helped found OBBA in 1997 after they witnessed
turtles becoming caught up in plastic bags and struggling to swim.
A
major first for this year’s event, Edriss said, was the introduction of
biodegradable bags in which to collect the trash.
“Thanks
to Reverte and Sanita, this year for the first time we are using biodegradable
bags instead of the nylon ones we have used in the past,” Edriss said. The bags
will fully biodegrade in an average of 24 months, leaving nothing but water,
carbon dioxide and biomass.
The
majority of waste collected this year, Edriss added, will be sent for
recycling, with the assistance of Sukleen.
Since
the annual cleanups started 15 years ago, the situation on Lebanon’s beaches
has been gradually improving, Edriss said.
“First,
this is because we eventually managed to make an impact on the great deal of
waste which had accumulated in the seas after 20 years of war. And [it is] also
due to the increase in recycling plants.”
The
public beach at Ramlet al-Baida is today virtually spotless, she added, since
OBBA took over management of the shoreline in 2003, alongside Sukleen and the
Tourism Ministry.
Volunteers
at the beach in Ras Beirut were tasked with merely panning the sand for small
fragments of waste, rather than having to collect larger items.
Speaking
to The Daily Star, Daouk urged all Lebanese to protect their seas.
“While
I’m not the environment minister, these issues are very important for everyone.
Anyone can see that the sea is dirty,” he said.
“As
a government we put a lot of importance on cleaning the sea,” Daouk added.
“Sure,
this issue is important in terms of tourism, but it is first and foremost
important for the Lebanese.”
The
Operation Big Blue cleanup event was essential, he said, in acting as a message
to “try to alert the Lebanese people to have a friendly use of the environment
around them.”
In
a media release from OBBA, the NGO states that their mission is “not solely
dedicated to keeping the beach clean for one day. Our mission was to jump-start
a culture of cleanliness and reveal the civilized image of Lebanon which we
believe exists in the heart of each and every Lebanese citizen.”
Daouk
said he was encouraged by the adoption of biodegradable bags this year and
called upon all Lebanese to adopt similar measures, and to increase their rate
of recycling.
The annual event was this
year held in conjunction with the Lebanese Army, the U.N. Interim Forces in
Lebanon and the ministries of Youth and Sports, Education, Tourism,
Agriculture, Public Works and Transport, Interior and Public Health, and a
number of municipalities across the country, and was sponsored by BankMed.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2012/May-21/174078-15th-annual-operation-big-blue-hits-the-beaches.ashx#axzz1vOo9WVnp
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