As part of its 10th National Cleanliness Campaign, Qatar’s Ministry of Environment will kick off a two-month-long initiative to clean up the nation’s beaches and other outdoor spaces.
Student volunteers and participants from other ministries and state institutions are expected to spend December and January working on improving environmental conditions here, the MOE said in a statement.
The move comes at a time when complaints about the state of Qatar’s public spaces have been increasing.
@Qatar_MOE wakra beach people have no recpect for nature Baladia plz more trash bins for these disrespectful people pic.twitter.com/TDv5jnxv7E
— Sticky33 @QA (@Tamerfayad33) November 14, 2014
As the weather cools down, many residents have been flocking to Qatar’s coastal areas to enjoy the water and the sand. But the increased presence of visitors has led to heavy littering, especially on the weekends.
In response, many volunteer groups across the country have been stepping up efforts in recent months to clean up beaches and environment sites like the mangroves.
The goal is not only to beautify Qatar’s shores but also to protect the environment. For example, Fuwairat beach is a popular breeding ground for Hawksbill turtles and during the peak breeding season, between April and July, a section of the beach is fenced off in a bid to protect their fragile nesting areas.
But this year especially, rubbish left in the sand confused the turtles, who find it difficult to return to the spot where they hatched to lay their eggs.
The MOE hasn’t yet provided details on how to participate in its new campaign, but on Twitter, has asked residents to report environment violations by calling 998.
Thoughts?
lots of words raises profile, but only action and a culture shift will see results
1. They need to charge 10 riyals per person or at least per car/family to enter any public beach. the 10 riyals will go towards cleaning up of the beach.
2. a security hut at each public beach where you have to show a Qatari ID and receive a trash bag in return. you will be monitored to ensure you return the trash bag full and have it dump next to the large bin by the security hut.
3. non-violent criminals in jail should be put to good use. make them clean up the beach, each 8-hour of hard clean up labor means a day less in jail at the end of their term.
4. education will do no good. same nationalities take a dump in the open on the beach! what’s the point of educating them on being clean.
5. cancel sports day! really it’s just not going to happen. turn it to environment day. a day where all gov’t offices and companies go out and clean up the desert and beaches. it’ll be Feb so the weather will be nice and it’ll be an opportunity for all to give back to this gas-rich land that’s keeping us all here..
Build a few suitable food and beverage outlets near these beaches (like almost everywhere else in the world) to prevent the family dumping scenario in the first place. Oh yes, put a car park next to the beach. That way, environmental impact is mimimised. Charge for entry and then maybe we might get somewhere. Volunteers will not crack a deeper routed issue.
i disagree, though doha beaches aren’t that lovely, i think it’s best to leave them “virgin” and not commercialize them with car parks and fast food chains.
I said “Near” the beaches, not on them. They can retain their “Virginity” that way, rather than the current abuse they receive for the very reason those services are not there.
It is a good beginning, kudos.
Must be that time of year again. Lots of talk but same end result.
Cleanliness is a way of life, which one develops while growing up. If someone is not in that habit, simply impose fines and they will be forced to mend their ways.
Look at a country like Singapore, where one attracts fine for almost anything you do to spoil the cleanliness of the country. And it works “FINE” there.
This is a deep rooted cultural issue. If littering is not considered a socially frowned upon behaviour, then it will continue to happen. If there’s a perception that it’s somebody elses job to clean up, then it will continue to happen. Unfortunately the people who volunteer for clean-ups are generally those who wouldn’t dream of littering in the first place – therefore there is no learning experience. Good on MoE for giving it a try, but they need to ensure that problem groups are heavily represented amongst the volunteers.