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"Together for a Sustainable Environment in Duqm"

300 volunteers take part in a clean-up campaign in Nufoon Beach

Duqm – March 14, 2022

The Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (OPAZ), represented by the Environmental Awareness Team in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm (SEZAD), organised today a clean-up campaign, "Together for a Sustainable Environment in Duqm". The campaign was aimed to clean Nufoon Beach in the Wilayat of Duqm.

Over 300 volunteers participated in the campaign, representing the different companies operating in SEZAD and a number of government bodies. Members of the local community took part in the campaign as well to show their care for the environment. The 4-hour-long campaign manage to clean around 4 km of Nufoon Beach using a specialised machine. 

Mohammed bin Hamad Al Mahrouqi, Acting Manager of Environmental Regulatory Department in OPAZ, pointed out, “The different types of waste have become a growing threat to the environment, causing the deterioration of land and marine ecosystems, and this has a negative impact on various aspects of life, including effects on economic sectors such as tourism, fishing and others. Therefore, we urge all, through these campaigns, to contribute to reducing the threat posed by single-use plastic waste on nature”.

On the other hand, Marwa bint Hamdoon Al Hashmi, an environmental inspector and Head of the Environmental Awareness Team of the Environmental Monitoring Department at SEZAD, said: “The campaign focused on collecting plastic waste, being one of the most dangerous waste to environment, due to the difficulty of decomposing it. The participants collected a number of damaged fishing nets from the beach”.

“This campaign, which comes as one of many other environment-friendly activities, reflects the partnership between SEZAD employees, the local community and corporates operating in the Zone, where preserving the environment marks a priority in the Zone. Likewise, OPAZ adopts many environmental initiatives such as hygiene campaigns and awareness programmes in collaborating with community members and companies operating in Duqm”, she explained.

It is worth noting that the clean-up campaign came in cooperation with a number of governmental and private parties, most notably the Environment Authority, the Wali Office of Duqm, Duqm Municipality, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and Water Resources, Royal Oman Police, Royal Navy of Oman, Port of Duqm Company, Renaissance Services Company, Asyad Company and Tatweer Company.