- Title: ALGERIA: Volunteers clean up Tamenfoust beach inh Algiers
- Date: 29th May 2013
- Summary: ALGIERS, ALGERIA (RECENT - MAY 25, 2013) (REUTERS) WIDE OF TAMENFOUST BEACH POLLUTED WITH RUBBISH CLOSE OF RUBBISH ON COAST BANNER WHICH READS IN FRENCH: 'TAMENFOUST BEACH' VARIOUS OF PEOPLE CLEANING UP THE BEACH AND CARRYING PLASTIC BAGS TO COLLECT RUBBISH VARIOUS OF YOUNG BOY CLEANING UP THE BEACH (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MEHDI, 10-YEAR-OLD ALGERIAN VOLUNTEER, SAYING: "I came to clean the beach, because people throw rubbish here and they don't clean it; so I ask people to keep the environment clean." VARIOUS OF MINISTER OF TOURISM, MOHAMED BENMERADI, CLEANING THE BEACH AND PUTTING RUBBISH IN PLASTIC BAG (SOUNBITE) (Arabic) MINISTER OF TOURISM, MOHAMED BENMERADI, SAYING: "It is nice that Algerians are gathered here to clean up their coast, but unfortunately associations like RECIFS, which have been active for 20 years, clean-up the beach every year but citizens don't do enough effort to keep it clean, it is good to clean, but it is also better not to throw rubbish in the beach, so I hope that more people get involved in such initiatives." BOATS ON THE HARBOUR MORE OF PEOPLE CLEANING THE COAST FISHERMAN PREPARING NET VIEW OF THE BEACH AS VOLUNTEERS CLEAN UP MORE OF PEOPLE CLEANING THE BEACH VARIOUS OF GROUP OF DIVERS GETTING READY TO DIVE IN AND CLEAN IT FROM RUBBISH (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ABDELRAOUF, DIVER, SAYING: "We should make people aware that this coast belongs to us today and it will belong to our children in the future, so when someone comes to the beach to swim and finds it clean, he must keep it clean." CLOSE OF RUBBISH IN THE BEACH DIVERS DIVING IN BEACH DIVER HANDING A BAG OF RUBBISH TO MAN ON BOAT VARIOUS OF BOATS TAKING PART IN CLEANING THE BEACH
- Embargoed: 13th June 2013 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Algeria
- Country: Algeria
- Topics: Environment,Travel / Tourism
- Reuters ID: LVAE3I9OMEVHPQNVFVDPI7T3YUNV
- Story Text: To help get the beach ready for summer, thousands of Algerian volunteers got together to clean up the rubbish in the Bay of Algiers on Saturday (May 25) The beach of Tamenfoust, 20 kilometres east of Algiers, is a popular place for families but it is hit by a weekly wave of rubbish, washed in from all around the Bay of Algiers.
The one-day initiative was organised by the environmental association RECIFS which aims to clean up the beach.
The operation was advertised on Algerian Radio, and volunteers were recruited to remove heaps of rubbish that flowed coast of Algeria.
The initiative also aims to increase children's awareness on environmental issues by encouraging them to take part in the cleaning operation.
Ten-year-old Mehdi was one of those who heeded the call.
"I came to clean the beach, because people throw rubbish here and they don't clean it; so I ask people to keep the environment clean," he said.
Thousands of volunteers joined the cleaning operation which collected around 1,750 tons of rubbish.
Leading the operation was Tourism minister Mohamed Benmeradi who said Algerians have to do more.
"It is nice that Algerians are gathered here to clean up their coast, but unfortunately associations like RECIFS, which have been active for 20 years, clean-up the beach every year but citizens don't do enough effort to keep it clean, it is good to clean, but it is also better not to throw rubbish in the beach, so I hope that more people get involved in such initiatives," said Benmeradi.
But the operations were not just limited on the coast.
Fishermen and divers worked together making regular trips out to the sea, to pick up trash.
"We should make people aware that this coast belongs to us today and it will belong to our children in the future, so when someone comes to the beach to swim and finds it clean, he must keep it clean," said diver Abdelraouf.
The beach of Tamenfoust attracts hundreds of tourists in the summer season which kicks off on June 1 Typically, authorities only send in a clean-up team before the summer holiday season, but this has not been enough to address the problem. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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