DUBAI // Volunteers collected more than 200kg of rubbish yesterday from the sand and water of a small stretch of Dubai Open Beach. The 35 people worked for almost four hours on a 300-metre length of coast south of Port Rashid, some of them diving to a depth of eight metres to haul trash up from the sea floor.
They cleared away piles of plastic bags, bottles and cigarette butts, underscoring growing concerns about pollution in the area.
The event was organised by Tawasul, an organisation that aims to teach diving and marine ecology to schoolchildren.
The waste was collected, sorted and weighed and information about it will be sent to Project Aware, an American non-profit environmental group that collects and analyses data about pollution at a variety of beaches and dive sites.
"Around 80 per cent of the waste was plastic, mostly bottles and bags," said Ernst Van Der Poll, the Dubai-based diving instructor who founded Tawasul. "This is worrying, as plastic is responsible for large numbers of deaths of marine animals."
While Dubai's beaches are regularly cleaned by municipal workers, the city does not have the means for underwater clean-ups.
"We found a lot of plastic, as well as bottles and a sock," said Louis Osthuizen, 49, who dived for rubbish with his two sons, Okkie and Roelof.
Cigarette ends were also everywhere, he said. "I saw a crab pulling one into its hole in the sand."
The rubbish, he said, "shows a lot of disrespect for the environment".
Echoing the sentiment, another volunteer said that as he and a friend were picking up cigarette butts, "there were people smoking in front of us and throwing them away on the sand".
The volunteers also collected large amounts of cans, glass bottles, food remains such as banana peels and chicken bones, nappies and discarded clothing.
They also found an old battery, an item that rivals plastic as an environmental threat. Acids in batteries can leak into the soil, eventually reaching groundwater supplies.
Plastics can kill marine birds and mammals, and sea turtles, which are particularly vulnerable because they mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, which they eat, Mr Van Der Poll said. "And now is the season for jellyfish."
In addition, there is research showing that plastic is entering the food chain. It is not eaten by bacteria but disintegrates over many years by ultraviolet light. What is left in the end are small granules, invisible to the naked eye. Marine invertebrates eat these particles, bringing them into the food chain.
"One way for people to help is to start using jute bags and refuse to take plastic bags from the supermarket," Mr Van Der Poll said.
vtodorova@thenational.ae
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)
Date started: August 2021
Founder: Nour Sabri
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace
Size: Two employees
Funding stage: Seed investment
Initial investment: $200,000
Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East)
MATCH RESULT
Al Jazira 3 Persepolis 2
Jazira: Mabkhout (52'), Romarinho (77'), Al Hammadi (90' 6)
Persepolis: Alipour (42'), Mensha (84')
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
RESULTS
Argentina 4 Haiti 0
Peru 2 Scotland 0
Panama 0 Northern Ireland 0
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
The%20specs
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Company%20profile
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Company%20Profile
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Five%20calorie-packed%20Ramadan%20drinks
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SNAPSHOT
While Huawei did launch the first smartphone with a 50MP image sensor in its P40 series in 2020, Oppo in 2014 introduced the Find 7, which was capable of taking 50MP images: this was done using a combination of a 13MP sensor and software that resulted in shots seemingly taken from a 50MP camera.
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Company%20profile
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RESULT
Fifth ODI, at Headingley
England 351/9
Pakistan 297
England win by 54 runs (win series 4-0)
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now