Dubai Municipality has formed recently a voluntary task team named Noukhada to boost up its initiatives to preserve marine environment of the Emirate. It was announced in a clean up the creek programme organized by the Civic Body, in cooperation with Dubai Ship Building and Engineering Company, in order to raise awareness among public of the environmental value of creek. Awareness activities for vessel owners ,boat crew, fishermen and general public who ferry the creek on a daily basis, were the part of the event. Huge amount of underwater wastage was extracted out at the end of day long voluntary clean up drive.
"Municipality wants to educate public, importance of natural resources and raise awareness to keep the creek clean and preserved", said Eng. Hussein Nasser Lootah, Director General of Dubai Municipality on the occasion.
"Apart from being geographical icon of our history and tradition, Dubai creek has its environmental value of being home to diverse species of marine creatures and organisms. We are committed to preserve it" added Lootah.
Detailing about the clean the creek drive, Khalid Suletin, Head of the Environment Emergency Office with the Environment Department, DM said. "The divers volunteered for the mission extracted 173 tons of waste from the bottom of creek. It includes fishing nets, remnants of old yachts, plastics and tires .It is alarming the way we treat the creek."
"We have formed a voluntary squad named Noukhada ,which means ship captain in Arabic Language, for the protection of the marine areas in Dubai". He explained further.
According to Mr. Suletin, the new team Noukhada with the mission of protecting marine areas has both girls and boys as its members. It has been divided into five another groups in order to make easy the voluntary activities under taken. The first of these, namely Dolphins will field themselves when emergencies related to water pollution happened. Having experienced persons as members of the group, it will assist other concerned bodies in rescue operations. The second one is named as AlQeen, which is entrusted with the cleaning activities in the creek. Interestingly, AlQeen is a popular fish kind found in Dubai waters ,characterized by its habit of cleaning water by eating up waste. Diving team for girls ,formed as part of the activities is named as Al Dana. Group deployed for monitoring deep creek waters with taking photographs and noting down the changes happening, is christened as Yaryur, local name for shark. All these four voluntary groups with various portfolios are coordinated and assisted by a fifth another group dubbed as Nawres or Seagulls.
Bader Mohammed Obeid Mubarak, Deputy Director General, Dubai Ship Building and Engineering, also participated in the event.
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For further information:
Bishruddeen K N M
Media Officer, Media Section
Corporate Marketing & Relations Department
Dubai Municipality
+971 206 04 4657
+971 4 2232188
+971552055012
bkmohamed@dm.gov.ae
© Press Release 2012
