Qatargas, in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, will lead the 2nd annual beach clean-up drive on 17th May at Al Ghariya beach, about 85 kilometers north of Doha. The annual beach clean-up drive was launched by Qatargas last year.
The environmental initiative was announced at a press conference held at the Qatargas Doha Head Office Monday , attended by Mansour Rashid Al-Naimi, Qatargas Public Relations Manager and Omar Salim Al Naimi, Director of Environmental Protection Department, Ministry of Environment, a press release issued here today said.
This year’s slogan for the beach clean-up drive is “Our Beaches” – Keep them clean, Enjoy them more. Litter and garbage on the beach can be harmful to the health and safety of beach goers and hazardous to the environment.
Speaking to the media, Mansour Rashid Al-Naimi, Qatargas Public Relations Manager said: “The objective of organizing the Qatargas Beach Clean-up Day is to do our part as a responsible partner in the State of Qatar’s efforts to protect the environment and maintain a balance between economic growth and environmental development. Responsible environmental management is a key element of our Corporate Social Responsibility Programme and our endeavors in this area support and promote the Environmental Development pillar of the Qatar National Vision 2030.” “This year, we are inviting the general public to join us in the beach clean-up. Our message through this initiative is that environmental protection is everyone’s responsibility. We are committed to play our part in sustaining our environment for the coming generations.” he added.
Omar Salim Al Naimi, Director of Environmental Protection Department, Ministry of Environment, on his part commented: “We appreciate Qatargas’ continued commitment to help keep the beaches in the North-Eastern areas of Qatar as clean as possible. Preserving and protecting the environment, including air, land, water and biological diversity is one of the strategic goals of the Ministry of Environment. This is possible only when all segments of the society, including government, private organizations and the community take up environmental preservation and protection as a joint responsibility. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Qatargas on environmental programs and initiatives,” he said.
As many as 500 people including Qatargas employees and the general public are expected to participate in activities that involve physically collecting and removing rubbish and other debris from the beach.
Marine debris is a global problem that poses a great threat to marine creatures and their environment. Marine debris is trash, litter and other solid material that ends up on beaches. Common types of marine debris include plastic bags, bottles and cans, fishing nets, bottle caps, lids and even cigarette butts. Irresponsible disposal of rubbish by beach-goers and campers is a major source of this environmental problem.
Marine debris poses a serious threat to all sea life and animals including sea turtles, birds, fish, and crabs which can be wounded, strangled, or unable to swim if they consume or become entangled in foreign objects. Marine animals can swallow this debris causing suffocation or starvation. Sea birds have been known to swallow small plastic pieces (which look like fish eggs); and sea turtles have been known to swallow clear plastic bags (which look like jellyfish).
Qatargas was established in 1984, and pioneered the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) industry in Qatar. Today, Qatargas, under the guidance of His Excellency Dr. Mohammed Bin Saleh Al Sada, Minister of Energy & Industry of the State of Qatar and Chairman of the Board of Directors at Qatargas, is the largest LNG producing company in the world, with an annual LNG production capacity of 42 million tonnes per annum (MTA) and is realizing its vision to become the world’s premier LNG company. Qatargas’ Ras Laffan Terminal Operations team operates all the oil products Tank Farms and related Marine Terminals at Ras Laffan Industrial City in Qatar. Ras Laffan is the largest LNG and oil products Export Terminal in the world.
Source : Qatar News Agency
