SWAKOPMUND: The largest national coastal clean-up campaign in the history of Namibia successfully took place early Saturday morning.
The campaign hosted by the Namibian Coast Conservation and Management (NACOMA) Project pioneered about 1 200 volunteers cleaning Namibia’s coast on Saturday.
The voluntary clean-up campaign forms part of the Coastal Biodiversity Week, Part 2, which will consist of various awareness-raising events between 15 and 22 September this year.
According to a statement released on Friday by Ignatius Kauvee, technical advisor at NACOMA, the response in terms of participation, donations and contributions in aid of the campaign was overwhelming and appreciated.
The volunteers cleaned the beaches along Oranjemund, Lüderitz, Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, Wlotzkasbaken, Henties Bay and the Skeleton Coast Park.
The group of volunteers consisted of learners from various coastal schools, members of the public, environmental groups, private companies, residents of Wlotzkasbaken, the Namibian Defence Force, Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Ministry of Environment and Tourism, and the Municipalities of Lüderitz, Walvis Bay, Swakopmund and Henties Bay.
A group of volunteers cleaning the Mole area in Swakopmund told Nampa on Saturday that they are proud to be part of the campaign to keep Namibia’s beaches clean.
“This is a tourist town and by keeping the beaches clean, we give a message to the tourists, inviting them to visit our town again,” they said.
Kauvee indicated in the statement that NACOMA hopes the message of keeping the beaches clean and conserving the coastal areas will encourage visitors and Namibians alike to respect the environment by not polluting it.
During the clean-up campaign, volunteers will collect data on the items they pick up.
The data would indicate the most prevalent litter along Namibia’s coast and the mass of the total rubbish collected, and will be used for research, education and advocacy purposes.
The proceedings pertaining to the Coastal Biodiversity Week include a fund-raising dinner for the Coastal Environment Scholarship Fund on Wednesday at Walvis Bay; a tree-planting ceremony at Dune 7 on Thursday, and a bird watch for Grade Nine learners at the Walvis Bay Lagoon also on Thursday.