Divers launch first underwater cleanup campaign

A group of divers from the Two Moon Diving Club (TMDC) have started the first cleanup campaign of its kind in Yemen- an underwater and beach cleanup. The cleanup campaign began October 30, and lasted two full days on Kamaran Island in the Red Sea. 

The first day of cleaning took place underwater as 5 scuba divers scoured an area of half a square kilometer. Waste collected underwater included oilcans, plastic bags, pipes, plastic bottles, shoes, ropes and rusty metals. The team managed to collect 40kg of rubbish during its first dive. 

Five divers from Yemen and Egypt participated in the cleanup campaign, and despite the bad weather and visibility they succeeded in collecting considerable amounts of garbage. 

Druring the evening of the same day, divers continued clearing the underwater area, gathering another 10 kg of waste.

Early morning it began to rain heavily, destroying roads and making the ground very slippery and muddy. As a result, transportation on the island was rendered extremely difficult, however the team still managed to gather 17 students from the island as well as 6 villagers. With their crew assembled, the club began distributing T-shirts and gloves to participants.

Chairman of the club Essam al-Sulaihi gave an introduction to educate participants about the negative effects of non-recyclable garbage on the surrounding environment. “The reason behind pollution is lack of awareness among the public, fishermen in particular in throwing cans, oil cans, water bottles; we are planning to do another cleaning campaign in the shores of Aden,” said al-Sulaihi.

Al-Sulaihi said they are working to promote the sport of diving. To do so, clubs need to train interested people in confined water before releasing them into the open sea. 

The garbage collected was mostly non-organic materials that do not decompose. This is dangerous, as products such as plastic bags can kill some forms of marine life, including turtles. Plastic garbage also pollutes the bottom of the sea. “This is part of an international campaign and part of our club’s motto, which is “discover and conserve the hidden beauty of Yemen”, said al-Sulaihi.

TDMC team couldn’t dive the 31st of October because the visibility level was zero. 

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