Associates & Clients Eco and Equate Petrochemicals Company FKEPCO Eco and Industrial Investment Company NAUI Eco and SANITEC INC, USA Al-Mojel tours & travels NAUI KUWAIT HOSTS AN ADVANCED REEF RESCUE EFFORT KUWAIT- A reef rescue campaign of unprecedented proportions in the Middle East, took place from Wednesday, August 18 to Friday, August 20 at Um Al Maradum Island. The campaign was initiated in an effort to rid the island and surrounding reefs of accumulated litter, which is not only dangerous to divers and visitors who enjoy the island, but is also harmful to the coral reefs and aquatic habitat. An estimated total of 82 divers worked with scientists and experts to safely and efficiently clean the debris and transplant any damaged coral, while over 60 non-divers cleaned the island's surface. The project was undertaken by various environmentally-conscience companies and organizations who, through a joint effort, succeeded in removing roughly 10 tons of litter and waste. THE CLEANING TEAM EQUATE Petrochemical Company was on hand to provide sponsorship, support and volunteers for the event. In addition, the company played a significant role in the organizing committee and campaign launching. Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) made the major contribution of heavy equipment (the work-boat "Fateen" with a crane, which had a lifting capacity of 25 tons, 3 barges "Fawaris-2", with the capacity of 200 tons, and the mooring boat "Dhareef") necessary for the removal of the large waste items and a large degree of the campaign's tremendous success was due to their generous supply of divers, equipment and excellent experience. The Transportation Department from the Ministry of Health was in attendance and brought four rescue/ambulance boats as well as a fully equipped team of emergency medical personnel who were prepared for any type of emergency. In addition, they contributed divers and some of the transportation to the island for volunteers. "The Transportation Department was invited to join the Reef Rescue Campaign by EQUATE Petrochemical Company and was proud to accept the invitation to participate in this environmental campaign," said Public Relations Manager for the Ministry of Health, Captain Ahmad Al Hazeem. "Our participation is a result of our belief in the importance of protecting the Kuwaiti environment and especially the coral reefs and rare fish." The Kuwait Diving Team (KEPS), an organization well recognized for their continued environmental marine efforts, were also present to add their diving expertise. Al-Boom Marine Company generously provided boats and equipment for many of the divers, part of which meant supplying the majority of the air tanks used. Both groups had volunteers working on the island for all three days. The National Association for Underwater Instructors (NAUI) and Pulse Diving Team brought an additional 36 well-trained and equipped divers, while the Gulf Steel Factory donated two boats to help with the salvage operation and were kind enough to provide a tent for shelter on the island. Touristic Enterprises Company did their part by giving all the participants free entrance to Khiran resort and supplying a hall for the appreciation ceremony, which was held Friday evening. It was NAUI, under the leadership of Middle East Training Representative Alaa Eldin A. Ali, and ECO-Environmental Consultants who started the original idea and fueled all involved with enthusiasm for the cause. ECO General Manager Dr. Ali Khuraibet was proud of the campaign's success in cleaning the waste. "The accomplishment of this project came from the contributor's faith in the importance of keeping the Kuwait marine environment and its coral reefs safe and clean," Khuraibet said. "There was a strong sense of responsibility among the volunteers, government agencies and private companies. It also reflects the consideration of international and national companies like EQUATE Petrochemical Company, in protecting the environment." THE COURSE OF ACTION The Kuwait Diving Team (KEPS) team started prior to Wednesday by taking underwater video and photographs to plan their course of action. Then, under the supervision of research associate, Shaker Al Hazeem, the coral was carefully moved from the work-site to protected areas beside coral where red coralline algae will fuse these pieces with the existing colonies. According to Waleed Al Fadhel, president of the Kuwait Diving Team, the divers started cutting the pipes and other heavy metals into pieces. "These were then lifted to the surface (through the use of special air-inflated lift bags) and brought to the barge, 200 meters away," he said. Divers from the Kuwait Diving Team could be found cleaning the area 16 hours a day for all three days. They accomplished this by working in shifts, some of which lasted until midnight, despite unfavorable weather conditions. Since the completion of the effort, the teams have been evaluating the quality of the work in order to insure the best possible results for future campaigns. The Kuwait Diving Team will publish and document all the findings from the event on their web page at www.freekuwait.com. Alaa Eldin A. Ali said, "(We) were very proud to support this environmental accomplishment and we are looking forward to participating in more of these serious environmental campaigns which insure a cleaner and safer Kuwait". THE SIGNIFICANCE The coral in the area had been inflicted with serious damage due to the litter of visitors to the island which has accumulated over the years. A large amount of industrial steel had also been deposited around the island. The effort was important for more than one reason. Not only was it successful in the removal of a considerable amount of waste, but efforts like this is also helpful in raising awareness and environmental consciousness within the community. The more people understand the impact they have on the environment, the more responsible they become for their actions. When the community is aware of the fragility of an ecosystem they are less likely to carelessly dispose of their waste. If people do not actively do their part to keep the country clean, then it goes into a continual state of degradation and future generations are forced to pay the price. A CLOSER LOOK AT CORAL Perhaps no other natural habitat in the world can equal coral reefs for their color, beauty of form and design, or the tremendous variety of life they support. However, a number of natural and anthropogenic stressors can harm reef communities. Therefore, protection and conservation measures are required to save coral reefs for the future. The term coral refers to a large group of marine invertebrates characterized by a protective calcium carbonate skeleton. Coral reefs are the most biologically efficient and diverse of all natural marine ecosystems and are constructed mainly of corals. Therefore, coral reef systems are unique among the marine ecosystems because they are built up from entirely biological activity. Corals are the primary producers of calcium carbonate deposited on the reef system, which is fused by coralline algae. These corals are constantly cementing coral skeletons together by precipitating calcium carbonate. This reinforces the reef system against destruction by wave action and is what makes it possible for the coral removed during the campaign to be safely re-transplanted. "The marine environment is very important to the world, considering it's size in comparison to the land and the fact it is an important part of the ecological balance," Al Hazeem said. "This importance has made the world invest it's time and efforts to protect and watch over this significant part of the environment." KUWAIT, April 11 - Over 250 volunteers were in attendance at Um Al-Namil Island on Friday, April 7 to offer their time and effort in cleaning the island's surface. The large group was organized by the Reef Rescue Committee, a collection of various environmentally-conscience organizations, as part off their on-going campaign to clean Kuwait's islands and beaches of accumulated liter and debris while spreading environmental education and awareness. Um Al-Namil island is situated within the Kuwait Bay, which is an ecologically and commercially important area containing diverse habitats with a wide range of marine organisms. The committee chose to focus their efforts on this island after the success of a similar campaign on Um Al-Namil carried out by some of the members last year. The island suffers from waste being dumped or drifting from various sources. For example, fishing lines and nets, ropes, plastic oil containers, scrap wood, tires, barrels, general refuse and left-over, non-military waste can be seen along its coasts. The waste comes from a number of sources including a near-by fishing village, other fishermen who utilize the area and irresponsible recreational visitors. It was the objective of the committee to not only rid the beach of some of this refuse, but to also draw public attention to the island's rapid state of degradation and the absence of any regular cleaning by the concerned authorities. The Reef Rescue Committee who organized the expedition operates under the umbrella of North American Underwater Instructors (NAUI) Middle East. Its members consist of NAUI Middle East Director Ala'a Adeen Ali, ECO-Environmental Consultant General Manager Dr. Ali Muhammed Khuraibet, Captain Ahmed Al-Hazeem from the Ministry of Health, Shaker Al-Hazeem from NAUI and Montaha Baghdadi and Fahed Al-Sumait from EQUATE Petrochemical Company. To help with the massive task of cleaning the island, a number of volunteers and supporting organizations rose to the occasion. These included Wataniya Telecommunication Company, who provided both volunteers and finical support, the Kuwait Fire Brigade, the Ministry of Health - Transportation Department, Al-Boom Marine Company, Kuwait Red Crescent Society, ECO-Environmental Consultants, the PULSE divers, Kuwait Municipality, Abdul Hameed Salim Cleaning Company, EQUATE Petrochemical Company and a number of other volunteers. "Our sponsorship for the campaign is part of the special services that we offer to Kuwait and its people," commented Abdul Khaledk Al-Ali, Public Relations Manager for Wataniya. "It reflects our concern for the importance of keeping Kuwait's environment clean and safe." The Cleaning Since the island is accessible by foot during low tide, the enthusiastic group crossed through a predetermined path at 9:00 a.m. and gathered on the island. A safety briefing was given and the attendants received gloves and trash bags before setting off to collect all they could. The refuse was then gathered in a number of piles for easy removal and proper disposal. Many people remained on the island until 4:00 p.m. while others were carried across the low-tidal zone in boats. All those in attendance had the first-hand experience of seeing the waste build-up and they each gained satisfaction from giving themselves freely to such an environmental cause. While the actual waste removed is important, it is the education of such issues which makes the real difference for the future. When people experience the consequences of pollution, liter and mistreatment of the environment, a greater sense of appreciation is developed. When the efforts of such campaigns are recognized for their importance to the survival of the ecosystem, it is hoped that more people will make an effort to prevent excessive pollution and ideally contribute to improving the environment in which they live. Ahmed Al-Hazeem, PR manager for the Ministry of Health, stated "Our concern in protecting the marine environment comes from our love for the land which offers us a lot and we will put all of our available facilities to serve other similar jobs of noble concern." The committee expressed a desire for the concerned authorities to take heed of Kuwait's deteriorating environmental state and consider implementing policies and actions which might help. A number of ideas were suggested concerning the island, including a ban of licenses issued to build fish traps which damage natural habitats. Another suggestion was to allow fishermen to only use one vehicle per chalet and stick to a designated route to island, minimizing the impact on the tidal zone. Fishermen should take their debris with them when leaving the island and the authorities who clean Kuwait should be awarded contracts for the island on the condition that all debris is removed in an eco-friendly manner. Much of the future waste could also be avoided if authorities could move the fisherman village from Doha to an area with healthier conditions which is more environmentally friendly. The existing village was built without any environmental consideration and the tides carry debris along the coast and onto the island. The village itself is already dilapidated and the living conditions are substandard. A relocation would benefit both the environment and the impoverished inhabitants of the village. Another suggestion to preserve as much of the remaining habitat as possible, would be to turn the island into a natural reserve. This would not only allow it to remain for future generations, but it could also be valuable for scientific research, as it is very rich in its eco-diversity. NAUI member Shaker Al-Hazeem, speaking on behalf of the committee stated, “We send out an invitation to all government and private authorities or individuals to participate in protecting Kuwait's marine environment though upcoming campaigns." Anyone wishing to participate in future campaigns is kindly requested to contact Ala'a Al-din Ali in Al-Boom Marine Company at 483-0474.