Today someone sent me a picture that was heartbreaking, the death of sperm whales by swallowing cars parts and junk thrown in the sea. I of course recalled few incidents that proves to me that us the humans are the prime problem on earth.
The other day, I accompanied my grandkids to the beach to swim and walk, instead guess what happened? we collected so many bags and bottles that were just been thrown and the sand filled them, the children where very helpful and were jumping from happiness that they have saved a fish (they actually saw a dead fish inside one of the bags).
On another occasion, I passed by the Gulf of Tobli (apparently this was full of shrimps in those yester days when people cared about the health of the living beings inside the sea), I was taking a photo of the boats, suddenly a cars pulls down and a guy comes out, takes his bag of rubbish, and to my utter surprise he throws it in the water. My heart sank, as we do have a lot of places to throw our litter in, we do not need to kill more fish with out litter.
last year I also took the kids to a beach cleanup gathering, there is nothing known to us that we didn’t find inside the sand of the beach or on the shores; we found ropes, bottles, bags, slippers, cloths, cooking utensils, sanitary items, toilettes, building materials, parts of ships, shoes, glass, nails, fishing nets. Of course this is not an exclusive list, there were more things, sometimes you cannot even imagine the items that are thrown in the sea (condoms etc).
What I feel sad about is that we all need the sea, not just to eat the fish, or go for a swim, we need it because of its water, and we need it because the marine life is important for our livelihood, sometimes they can save our lives, as many medications are extracted from the sea and its friends (fish, weeds, other living beings). So I am just thinking loud here: we need to impose marine studies in the schools, children have to study it along with Quran and arabic. We need to add a portion on social studies (this subject is taught to young children) about caring for our marine and our environment. We need to also push students to study marine biology, marine engineering, marine environment, oceanography, ship building, safe fishing, diving, and the spectrum of marine studies that are out there in foreign universities. We need to encourage the local universities to introduce these majors. Last but not least, the government need to introduce a course for the foreigners that come to Bahrain for work, the course will teach them to look after the place, and not to litter the beaches.
Bahrain is an island, and the junk that surrounds us is not healthy, imagine that your house is surrounded by garbage? can you live? the flies, rats, mosquitos, and other vermin will invade your house. Bahrain can sink, we can all vanish, as the coral reefs that is supporting the island will not survive under the tons of garbage people throw in the sea. That is why I truly believe that we are truly damaging our own country.
Help is needed by all.
