Aqaba marks int’l environmental occasions with underwater cleanup campaign

AMMAN — In celebration of World Climate Change Day and World Environment Day, the Marine Science Station (MSS) recently launched an underwater cleanup campaign at the Rainbow Reef diving site on the Gulf of Aqaba in cooperation with the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority. 

“This campaign was launched to honour the two environmental days as well as highlight the constant attention being paid by His Majesty King Abdullah to the Gulf of Aqaba and marine life in general,” said Director of MSS Ali Sawalmih in a phone interview with The Jordan Times.

The station is a research centre affiliated with the University of Jordan/Aqaba and Yarmouk University. It focuses on researching and studying Aqaba's marine environment and is “constantly monitoring the quality of seawater along the coast and preparing studies on many aspects of marine sciences”, according to a statement made available to The Jordan Times.

Sawalmih added that the campaign is the first in a series of underwater cleanups that will cover the entire Jordanian coastal nearshore in order to “protect the marine environment and its relevant economic resources”.

As the tourism season resumes after the coronavirus lockdown, the MSS director noted that the campaign “follows the recommendations of His Majesty to boost tourism again”.

 Around 45 divers joined in the campaign, with participants from the Marine Science Station, the Aqaba Marine Park, the Royal Naval Force, Ayla Oasis, the “Otrok Athar” (leave a good deed) Initiative and the Royal Marine Conservation Society of Jordan.

World Climate Change Day was marked on June 8 and World Environment Day on June 5.