25 tonnes of rubbish collected from Dubai Creek

Waste management teams from the Dubai Municipality have removed about 25 tonnes of timber, debris and remains of goods that fell from dhows while loading and unloading at the Dubai Creek over a period of time.
The move is part of a campaign launched by the Waste Management Department in collaboration with the Dubai Customs and the Dubai Tourism Company to clean the bottom of the creek between the Deira Abra station and Old Souq area.
Abdul Majeed Saifaie, Director of the Waste Management Department, is supervising a campaign to completely clean up the Dubai Creek - which has been accumulating waste from boats for years - in an effort to turn it into one of the best waterways in the Middle East.
"The campaign is the start of many campaigns which will be launched to clean up waterways in the entire emirate from all the waste and debris which can disrupt boats and dhows anchoring in the Creek's wharf, hampering trade movement and traffic," he said, noting that the cleaning efforts will also reduce maritime waste which sometimes contains industrial chemicals and other substances.
The Dubai Tourism Company contributed to the campaign by providing a team of expert divers to help in the cleaning up, while the municipality deployed a team of maritime technicians and workers from the cleaning unit, as well as three trucks to transport garbage and heavy equipment.
"The waste being fished out contained burned wood which emerged floating on the surface of water. Also some fridges, washing machines, air conditioners, water heaters and incalculable pieces of goods that fell from ships during loading and unloading at the wharf were found deposited at the bottom of the creek," he said.
Citing figures from the management's records, he said as many as 167 tonnes of rubbish was removed from the Creek last year, of which 805 from taken from the quay in Deira and 871 tonnes off the new wharf.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com

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