In what could be the biggest clean-up drive in the capital’s recent past, the National Marine Dredging Company (NMDC), in association with Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), on Monday launched an initiative to clean up its waterways and beaches.

The six-month project, which started from Saadiyat Island, will see the clean-up of over 30 million square metres of water bodies and over six million square metres of sea floor. The drive will cover beaches, tourist spots, industrial and residential areas.

NMDC chairman Mohammad Thani Murshid Al Rumaithi said the project is a first-of-its-kind campaign by the company. “I thank the EAD for their support. This coordination will continue till the desired objectives are achieved.”

The launch event to preserve the environment saw cleaners of Tadweer waste management centre and Averda Waste Management join the NMDC team and clear up the Saadiyat area.

NMDC director of purchasing and sales, Khaled Al Ameri, said the entire exercise is set into three different phases. “We will be covering most of Abu Dhabi Island. The first phase started with Saadiyat area and will continue for next two weeks. Then, work will shift to Mina Zayed.”

Saadiyat Island has many mega projects and remains key to the Abu Dhabi government vision of transform into a Global capital. Surface water cleaning will be carried at areas including Saadiyat, Rheem Island, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi Corniche and Mussafah channel. Meanwhile, the sea floor would be cleaned in industrial areas, such as Mina Zayed Port and Mussafah canal.

In this project, NMDC is using Damen Multi Cat M16 with self-designed nets for various tasks. “This workhorse has two nets connected to flexible arms that can move underwater. The white coloured net – with a length of 6-8 metres – is for the seabed with and can go upto 20 metres deep. The green coloured net is for surface water, collecting all floating items like plastic, cans, covers and the like. Such items don’t biodegrade and stay afloat, impacting the environment adversely,” Al Ameri said.

The waste items thus collected will then be shifted to the Centre of Waste Management, he said.

Touching on the deep water cleaning procedure, in the second phase, he said: “We did an underwater survey at various places to ascertain the sites that need such a clean-up. We have identified Mina Zayed Port and Mussafah channel. Many areas have been excluded, as the drive might affect marine life. In some places, we cannot disturb the aquatic species and ecosystem. So, the white coloured net will not be used in such areas.”

But what causes the waste accumulation?

“It is due to uncontrolled disposal of waste over a long period. This can also come from ships and vessels, especially in industrial areas. There are also big chunks that would have sunk due to its weight. Our aim is to find such waste and clean the water.”

‘Come join NMDC drive’

NMDC chairman Mohammad Thani Murshid Al Rumaithi urged one and all to lend a helping hand to clean the Capital waterways.

“The door is open to all bodies and departments, enterprises and institutions to be part of this national campaign. We encourage general public to preserve the marine environment,” Rumaithi said.

He noted some of the companies have been invited to be part of the campaign.

NMDC director of purchasing and sales Khaled Al Ameri said this is an ‘open invitation’ to all companies. “We have Tadweer and Averda Waste Management. We want more.”