Students of CNA-Q with officials during a clean-up drive at Al Zubara Beach.
Doha: As part of their environmental awareness activities, the Students Affairs Department at College of the North Atlantic-Qatar participated in a coastal clean-up at Al Zubara beach. This initiative took place in collaboration with Seashore Recycling and Sustainability Center and Qatar Museums.
The initiative took place in the presence of CEO of Seashore Group Salem Saeed Al-Mohannadi, Director of the Department of Archaeology - Qatar Museums Faisal Al Naimi, and Acting President of CNA-Q Dr. Salem Al-Naemi.
Al Zubara Fort is a historic Qatari military fortress built under Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani’s oversight in 1938. The dignitaries toured a temporary exhibition titled “Daily Life” and then headed towards Al Zubara archaeological site, a place inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Before starting, students were briefed about beach clean-up best practices and COVID-19 precautionary measures. Group leaders made sure that students wore their masks, gloves and adhered to physical distance. Participants were specifically requested to look for small plastic debris that has a significant impact on marine life.
Promoting environmental awareness is key at CNA-Q. The College offers a diploma in “Environmental Health,” a programme that prepares graduates to become environmental health officers and public health inspectors required to monitor, control, manage, promote, and manipulate environmental factors that impact human health. Within this framework, CNA-Q organizes many events that reflect the value of community participation in preventing and resolving environmental problems.
Acting President of CNA-Q, Dr. Salem Al-Naemi, said: “It is a pleasure for College of the North Atlantic-Qatar to partner with Qatar Museums and Seashore on this interesting initiative. This is an opportunity for our students to learn and become more active in their community. Sustainability is the key to a better tomorrow and the driver for innovation, and that is the message we want to convey to all participants. We hope that this activity will also give them the chance to connect with their heritage and value the past to build a prosperous future.”
Director of the Department of Archaeology - Qatar Museums, Faisal Al Naimi, added: “This initiative aims to join efforts across Qatar, to build a common sustainability platform. An action that will involve different community target groups to raise awareness about the environment and the importance of keeping archaeological sites and beaches clean”.
Commenting on the event, CEO of Seashore Group, Mr. Salem Saeed Al-Mohannadi, said: “The group is working relentlessly to promote sustainability across Qatar, in line with the policies and procedures set by the country. We work on fostering bigger community involvement in events and programmes to increase awareness and create a public sustainability culture. Protecting our environment is a pressing issue, and we want everyone to be part of the solution.”
Participation in this activity came from thorough research done by students about the environment in Qatar. According to EcoMena, Qatar produces more than 2.5 million tons of municipal solid waste each year. It has one of the highest per capita waste generation rates worldwide of up to 1.8 kg per day, where only 8 percent of that waste is recycled.
