KUWAIT: Kuwait Dive Team removed three tons of hazardous waste from Ouha Island. Most of the removed waste included large fishing nets, plastic scraps, wooden pieces, and a number of sunken boats, team leader Waleed Al-Fadhel said yesterday.

The dive team, which is affiliated with the Environmental Voluntary Foundation, was keen on lifting the wastes due to their alarming danger on the marine environment, Fadhel affirmed, noting these wastes caused major navigational obstacles. Lifting the wastes is part of the Kuwait Dive Team's efforts and voluntary campaign to clean the country's islands and beaches in cooperation with Kuwait Municipality, he said.

Six years ago, several state bodies such as the Municipality, Coast Guard, Fire Service Directorate, and the Cabinet's Removal of State Properties Violations and All Non-Permissible Aspects Committee removed all residential chalets, apartments, and wastes from Ouha Island in an attempt to make it a natural reserve, said Fadhel.

Such a step has restored the marine environment and wildlife in the Island, he said, reiterating his team's willingness to move on with its environmental role and campaign to remove all floating wastes from coastal waters and clean Kuwait's beaches and islands. - KUNA