Think the beaches need cleaning up? Well now there’s something you can do about it. Al Yaal is a nationwide marine conservation initiative and through preventive and reactive measures such as clean-up activities, education, advocacy and community ownership, they hope to preserve Kuwait’s coastal environment. So if you’re interested in volunteering visit the Al Yaal website and sign up [Here]
For more information on Al Yaal click [Here]
25 replies on “Al Yaal – Kuwait’s first nationwide marine conservation initiative”
While this is a good initiative, the problem is massive. Daily hundreds of metric tons of untreated raw sewage are dumped into the gulf. This is much more serious than garbage littering the shores. In fact many experts believe that irreparable damage has already been done for the next 20 years. Worst of all its still ongoing with no end in sight. No one is even talking about a time frame to end this nightmare!!
Don’t swim in the gulf, and don’t eat fish or shrimp. 🙁
Yes, there is always something that is worse than something else.
That is one of the problems our world has these days.
Nice that people point that out.
Does that mean though that you simply should do nothing to change what you can?
The state of affairs of our beaches is really bad. 2 weeks back i went to the beach early in the morning to beat the heat and was horrified to see this much of garbage left by people the previous night. We even could not find a proper place to lay out our mat. Instead of cleaning up the mess or educating people not to litter, How about creating a law that punishes people for doing this, a law that prevents untreated dumping of sewage into the sea. This is a too serious matter just to ignore. There are many ways of getting this in order, only thing it has to become a law, or if there is one already it has to be enforced properly.
This is an initiative for people to start a change in their surroundings. It raises awareness.
I agree, change has to come from the government, law enforcement and education.
Until then, every single person in Kuwait that is bothered by the trash should start doing something.
This is a start. If every person that comes to the clean-ups, takes something home with them, be it the experience to talk about, photos to share a blog post to write, you raise awareness. You make the problem more public.
First ensure that those bangladeshi cleaners get paid a little more salary and treat them like humans before throwing around your phony “clean up kuwait” movement. People here are still learning slowly about cleanliness but most of all if they learn to respect the cleaners who work in this heat outdoors they will understand that throwing around garbage does nothing but directly increase their work. And pretty much everyone is guilty of littering garbage near the beaches. So before having some “fun” cleaning activities, educate people about respecting one another first….which is a million times harder than picking a few plastic bottles from the beach and posing for photo opps.
What do you think where the majority of people come from that do the clean-ups with us?
Stupid Expats?
Nope, many young Kuwaitis are with us.
And regarding the ‘phony’ part. Do you think they turn on the AC for us at the beach while we clean up there for 3-4 hours?
Maybe you should get your phony respectful self out there,before you throw around you respectful comments?
What are YOU doing to change the situation here?
Khajoors statements are harsh and uncalled for, and surely this initiative is not phony. Everyone gets it, that you guys are trying to make this place a better place to live. Everyone wants it that way. But what i personally think that the approach is wrong, the time and effort being spent on organising this and cleaning the beaches could be spent pushing the people in-charge to create better laws and enforce them, create nation wide campaigns. This will once and for all stop this mess and you would’nt have to create such initiatives. Posting guards on the beaches, fine people etc can be carried out, then no one will litter. This is only the tip of the iceberg so to say, more serious pollution is being carried out daily which is slowly killing the environment and most of which is irreversible.
Your points sure are valid, Steven.
But who do you think will push and shove the government? A bunch of Expats?
You see the comments around, this is the most harmless of the bunch. Usually when you criticize the state the environment is in in a place foreign to you, what you get to hear is ‘go home’.
I m personally tired of that.
I don’t care what country I live in. Kuwait is not the first and neither will it be the last foreign place to me.
I don’t care who litters.
I don’t care how much I pick up or if it in the end solves anything.
Call it my little tribute to Mother Nature.
I don’t expect anyone to understand it.
But I certainly will not start to explain the government what they should be doing, nor will I try to educate thickheads that litter the places they sit at and have a good time at.
That is a waste of time to me. Any bird that I can save from being strangled in a damn fishing line is lifting my heart.
I don’t really expect many people to understand this point of view. But it’s mine 😉
You know very well that you won’t be at it forever, and the little awareness that you raise will be short lived. But you people won’t be able to push anything around till you tell the people who are supposed to clean up to clean up. Not everyone has the time and energy to be running around and picking up garbage. Phony it is, indeed.
And what am I doing? Not pretending that I care.
Tell me how you know how long I keep this up, how long I’m doing it, or whatnot.
Read my above comment. I do this out of my own personal reason.
And yes, I don’t give a rats ass if anyone here in Kuwait will learn or if they drown in a few years in their trash.
I certainly am not here to eductate. Do you think any Kuwaiti that’s to stupid to not realize that they need to pick up their own shit will listen to a white Western woman?
And to tell the trash guys how to pick up trash, as long as you haven’t walked one time in their shoes, who would you be to tell them how to do their job?
I would love to but out of the country at the moment.
Kuwait govt/municipalities has no money to put up a do not litter sign anywhere in Kuwait…ho! then why the need for all the street cleaners right …everything would be perfect.
whats the point in cleaning when first releasing all the waste in the sea and then cleaning it up.i am saying it since i have seen the drainage release behind Kuwait university.
You need to start from somewhere and you need to create awareness. This is a good thing, don’t knock it.
well i strongly agree to that.
i wish i was an Mp i would propose a law which would fine or issue penalty for making the places Dirty.
There are laws against littering, there are even signs.
You REALLY think anyone here would care if there were more signs?
Cleaning up after people is one thing. But littering is a kuwaiti bad habit. You know ,” there is someone who will clean up after me” mentality has to change. The gulf is/was the only enduring resource kuwait has. Oil is a short term fad at best. Why destroy our most precious resource ?
I don’t know why you guys are attacking Al Yaal. When nothing is being done you complain and now when something is being done you’re also complaining?
The littering habit isn’t going to disappear overnight, it takes time and education which is what this initiative is trying to do.
I’m speechless! What these people are doing is beyond amazing. Ignore the previous hateful comments which are absolutely ridiculous since these people are actually doing something about it rather than complaining about it. Bravo and I wish you all the best!
I wasn’t attacking Al-Yaal per se. It think its a great that we have a new conservation movement in Kuwait. But its only one piece of the puzzle. There needs to be with it anti-littering campaign with serious laws/penalties. I remember once a few years ago an american tourist in singapore was caned because he spray painted graffiti. Maybe caning isn’t a good idea, but 50 kd fine per incident should detract people.
gawahom allah alyall,but shelfayda if “3zeer wezweer wlemenkeser wele mafee 7eel “as we say in Kuwait will through their trash again.
The only thing that will change the mentality of the above mentioned ppl is the LAW.
Right.
It stops people here from racing and killing themselves and others too, right?
Besides all the things you can say about what should be done in Kuwait (which is a lot), one needs to start thinking of what one can do to start some change.
Picking up trash that other people leave behind?
Doesn’t sound great, does it?
Ever tried it? I usually do it when I walk my dogs at the beach. I try to avoid it sometimes, but then Mother Nature kicks a plastic bag in front of my feet & there I go.
It is actually liberating to see a stretch of beach clean, even though it might be only for a a short time.
Now, do this in a group of like minded people, knowing that the trash you pick up will even be recycled.
Have some conversations along the way, share your gripes and hopes.
Of course you can sit at home in front of your computer and complain about how bad it is in Kuwait and say that things should be done.
But if not more people start doing something instead of just thinking, than soon it will be too late. Not only for Kuwait.
If you don’t like to pick up other people’s trash, then do something different.
But please, stop the part where you just talk.
If you want, click on on the link above. The first 4 albums are recent beach clean-ups with Al Yaal.
Join us, if you want to start changing things
(and I’m just one of the cleaners, not one of the organizers, but whining just ticks me off ;))
What you guys are doing is truly inspirational, the trash situation in Kuwait is gone out of hands and the municipality is not doing a thing, it saddens me every time I go out and see trash around the city.
Keep up the good work, you are
Amazing work, guys 🙂