100 volunteers participate in cleaning Alexandria's Saraya public beach

CAIRO - 7 June 2023: Alexandria Governorate hosted activities to clean the Saraya public beach, which will last for a week, with the participation of 100 volunteers from youth and school children.

 

These activities are carried out in coordination with the Environmental Affairs Agency, the Directorate of Education in Alexandria and civil society institutions, marking the World Environment Day.

 

The activities included cleaning the seabed from solid and plastic waste, with the participation of 20 divers from the community initiatives team and volunteer divers.

 

Canvas bags were also distributed as an alternative to plastic bags to beachgoers. 

 

Dr. Raafat Hamza, assistant professor at the Department of Water Sports at Alexandria University and the supervisor of the event, said that it is the second time to launch this event for the second year in a row.

 

The initiative aims to remove any waste from the beaches, especially the bathing and recreation area of the resorts, and the waste include: grass that can be collected by diving into the bottom of the sea. 

 

 

Part of the initiative is also to send an awareness message to preserve the marine environment and the beautiful beaches of Alexandria.

 

Captain Mohamed Ibrahim Mahjoub, one of the volunteer divers to purify the seabed, stressed the importance of effectiveness in cleaning sea water to preserve marine organisms, indicating that diving is an important sport and we use it to serve the community and serve the nation.

 

Captain Hadi Ghazi, another volunteer diver, indicated that they dived to extract solid waste, especially plastic.

 

For his part, Major General Muhammad al-Sharif, Governor of Alexandria, stressed the importance of cleaning the bottom of the beaches, as it is one of the issues that the whole world cares about.

 

"Al-Sharif" also stressed that the governorate is keen to support all initiatives that come within the framework of the state's vision to protect the environment and beaches.

 

Dr. Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment, confirmed that the celebration of World Environment Day this year is a special celebration that was prepared to be a full week to restore momentum on environmental issues after the Climate Conference, noting that this year's celebration will take place under the slogan "Supporting Environmental Investment".

 

The Minister of the Environment stated that the campaign presents an important message to the whole world, explaining our interest in cleaning our beaches of plastic voluntarily before the world begins to activate an international agreement that obliges us to do so, and this reflects our sense of responsibility towards the planet and the damage caused by plastic waste to marine organisms, stressing the interest of the Ministry of Environment.