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Divers offer help to clean up polluted ocean in Lebanon

Ibrahim Al Zubi of the Diving Association said that the members were ready to get on with the job. “All of them are ready to camp on the beaches if necessary. No one has said no,” he said.

There is a shortage of expertise and equipment to deal with oil spills and harmful marine wastes. The Association members would be equipped with handbags provided by the Dubai police.

At present there are 650 members of the Emirates Diving Association and 33 diving centres.

According to Al Zubi, the policy of the association is to increase membership and reach to more people. “We also want to reach an awareness point where we can stop doing clean-ups because people realise that throwing away plastic bags could kill dolphins, turtles and marine life” he added.

One of the EDA’s priorities in the UAE is protecting the coral reefs of the East Coast and the marine life. Funded by sponsorship and donations, the EDA is a partner of the UAE Ministry of Environment and an active contributor to the global Reef Check Programme, which also involves the UN.

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