Volunteers who participated in the clean-up drive.
Volunteers from InterNations, an expatriate network, during beach cleaning at the northern island of Umm Tays.
DOHA: Over 200 people took part in a clean-up of the beaches at the northern island of Umm Tays yesterday. The activity was organised by InterNations, an expatriate network, and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Urban Planning.
The volunteers picked up approximately 1 tonne of rubbish in an area of five square kilometers. “It was a great and productive day,” said the Ambassador of InterNations to Qatar, Mark Thomson. The Ministry provided three buses and some boats to transport the volunteers, with the participation of families with children as well.
The action took place a few days after the commemoration of Earth Day with the goal of enabling sea turtles to lay their eggs in the area. “We found plastic bags, glass and plastic bottles, among other things,” said the organiser. This initiative organised together with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Urban Planning, which also provided 25 people that took part in the expedition, is part of the organisation’s community and environmental responsibility programme.
“It’s about paying back to the community, about telling our host nation that we’re not just here to take. We’re here to be socially active and participate as residents in this country,” explained Thomson. “I want to organise more similar activities in other beaches,” he stated, while adding that the organisation will also consider tree planting. InterNations is the largest expatriate network worldwide. With over 750,000 members in more than 195 countries and 360 cities, it was officially launched on September 11, 2007. InterNations has 7,000 members from 49 nationalities in Qatar. the peninsula
