Ronaldo Z. Concha Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — In a four-hour cleanup operation, more than 2.5 tons of debris scattered at a beach resort in Jeddah were removed last Friday as part of the project “Dive Against Debris – Clean and Healthy Ocean” on the occasion of the International Cleanup Day. Project Aware coordinator Elmer Fuentes told Saudi Gazette that during the cleanup they were able to remove181 pieces of alloy and metal bars, 45 plastic tables and chairs, 4 bags of plastic bottles and 4 bags of glass bottles in an operation that began at 8 a.m. and lasted until noon. Around 110 Filipino and Western expatriates and Saudi scuba divers participated in the underwater and coastline cleanup at the Sheraton Sahel in North Obhur. Organized by Filipino PADI instructor Marlon Espina, the drive was supported by the Sheraton Jeddah Hotel headed by their General Manager Edwin Wijkhuys, PADI Instructors Mahdi Andijani and Elmer Fuentes, the alumni fraternity group of Alpha Phi Omega (APO), The Sheraton Staff, King Adullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) families and the Pinoy Dive Club. Ahmad Al-Mohanna, one of the participants and a Saudi diving instructor of PADI, said he appreciated the effort done by the organizers and the participants in keeping the country's beaches clean and called on others to follow suit. “Protecting our environment, especially our beaches, is one of the most important things for it benefits not only us but also those who are living in the ocean,” he said.
