JEDDAH, 29 July 2005 — In characteristic hands-on style, Prince Sultan ibn Salman, secretary general of the Supreme Commission for Tourism, dived on two of the worst polluted spots off Jeddah’s Corniche yesterday. As part of Jeddah’s largest ever beach cleanup campaign and to highlight the start of the “Leave No Trace” environment education campaign, Prince Sultan joined 350 other divers both to see first hand the extent of the problem and contribute to the cleanup.
Prior to his first dive on Al-Kharj reef approximately 7 km off the coast, he said that the campaign was one to “change the mindset” of the public.
“In a way, it is returning to the solid values of our forbears,” he said. “They lived a simpler life and appreciated their surroundings and left no trace of their passing on the environment. We must do the same; appreciate our environment and leave no trace of garbage or pollution as we live in our modern environment.”
During the first dive, Prince Sultan’s team retrieved a considerable amount of small mesh netting, drinks cans and a couple of fouled anchors from small craft from an area of a few of square meters. “All this from such a small space,” he said on surfacing, clearly shocked at the amount stacked up on the deck.
Expanding on the long-term plans for Leave no Trace, Prince Sultan said the campaign was certainly not a one-off event. “We intend to keep it very much in the public eye,” he said. He outlined the multipronged approach of the campaign emphasizing that education is the key.
“We have engaged other government authorities — Persga and MEPA to name but two — and commercial enterprises who have given us their full support. Trainers from Europe, the United States and other countries are to come and teach teachers. We want to have the idea of a sustainable and cared for environment in every school as quickly as possible.”
Material is being assembled for supply to teachers and trainers. “It is not going to be a quick fix,” he said. “We are serious about this; the program is here to stay. It’s not about cleaning up so much as about not letting the damage or pollution get there in the first place.”
Prince Sultan warned against assuming that, because certain parts of the Kingdom were polluted and damaged, it was the case in general. “Ninty-five percent or more of the Kingdom is unspoiled; there are some very beautiful places. We have to start somewhere and get the program going,” he added.
Eco tourism is a growing industry. “The key,” he said, “is sustainability. It is a main requirement in building a national tourism industry. We have to involve the people in becoming part of the environmental care team and encourage them to understand that by looking after their environment sustains the inflow of tourists and thus their livelihood.”
The second dive of the day was a few meters off the Corniche where the clean-up was well under way. The dive team surfaced with sacks of drinks cans, iron bars and assorted garbage, all collected in a very confined area.
John Bally, a diver with decades of experience who was visiting Jeddah for the first time, said the conditions on the reef were incredible. He described a “wall of netting and drinks cans scattered so thickly that the sea floor looked like a cut pile carpet.”
Commenting on the day, Prince Salman said he was happy to see the “stunning resources of our shoreline and sea.” He said however that he was saddened that “the coral reefs were being destroyed by the people we wish to educate on preserving national treasures through sound habits and practice.”
From a short stretch of shore, the haul of garbage was over three tons.
“There is work to be done,” said Prince Sultan.
