JEDDAH, 30 June — The two-day campaign for protection of environment ended yesterday at North Corniche with many more schoolchildren and families taking part.
Inaugurated by Jeddah Governor Prince Mishal ibn Majed on Thursday, the Sawa Sawa beach cleanup was organized by the Saudi Gazette newspaper as part of the Jeddah 22 summer festival. The campaign on its second day concentrated on cleaning up the Red Sea along the Corniche.
Some 160 divers from the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) took part in the operation near the old fishing pier and some star hotels. A National Guard band was in attendance again on the second day of the campaign.
As divers surfaced with bagful of garbage from the seabed, women and children, wearing caps and gloves, busied themselves with cleaning up the coastline. More than 100 bags filled with garbage were seen lying at different points awaiting disposal by municipal vans.
“Volunteers of the PADI Project Aware have been engaged in cleaning up the sea along the beach for some years now,” a PADI diver remarked. “Our participation in Sawa Sawa is to enlighten people further on environment protection. We hope picnickers to the beach will refrain from throwing soft drink cans and other waste into the sea.”
Schoolchildren, who took part in the program at Alhamra Corniche on Thursday, showed up for the second day with greater enthusiasm. Pakistan, Indian, Bangladesh, Sri Lankan, Philippine, Korean, German, Continental, Indonesian, Ethiopian, French, Jeddah Prep and Grammar, Al-Hekma, Al-Waha and Green Hill schools joined the program yesterday. “We’ve at least six new schools joining today,” said a volunteer.
“I wish I were a diver; I too could have recovered trash from the seabed,” a Filipino kid said.
The day’s drive began early afternoon with people arriving in school buses and private cars and lasted until late evening.
“I think we’ve succeeded in sending the right message to the people in the past two days,” the organizers said, adding that the campaign could become part of the annual summer festival. At least 3,000 citizens and residents with their families took part in the campaign.
