UDC readies cleanup of seabed at Pearl-Qatar

United Development Company (UDC), a leading Qatari public shareholding company and master developer of The Pearl-Qatar and Gewan Islands, is partnering with nongovernmental organisations and private and public institutions to clean up Porto Arabia Seabed at The Pearl-Qatar.The ‘Pearl-Qatar seabed cleanup’ campaign, which marks World Cleanup Day, National Cleanup Day, and World Water Monitoring Day, is taking place on November 2, in collaboration with Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS), and other partners. The campaign will feature professional divers and is expected to attract participation from both residents and visitors to The Pearl-Qatar.This event falls in line with UDC’s commitment to promoting environmental awareness, within the framework of the Company’s wider strategy and previous initiatives that are based on national and global sustainability principles, according to a statement issued yesterday.The event highlights UDC’s multifaceted waste management and recycling strategy and environmental initiatives.This includes Resident Recognition Programme, which acknowledges residents who actively recycle waste through The Pearl-Qatar’s Community Newsletter and other social media platforms.The Pearl-Qatar’s coastline spans 32km, with a mixture of sandy beaches, rock revetments, and sea walls.Ronautica Middle East – one of UDC’s subsidiaries – transports residents and visitors around the island using electric water taxis.The diverse environment of The Pearl-Qatar is a home to over 98 species of aquatic animals, 23 species of birds, and 14 species of wildlife species.A total area of 515,000sqm of The Pearl-Qatar is softscape, including 66 different species of trees, shrubs, flowers and grass.Over 10,000 trees and 70,000 plants have been planted since the construction works began on the Island.To reduce energy consumption, Qatar Cool seeks to cut cooling electric consumption by 50% compared to conventional air conditioning, ensuring the release of no harmful refrigerants into the atmosphere.UDC also installed collection points and charity donation boxes in strategic locations at The Pearl-Qatar.Since April 2018, collection points have been added to over 34 locations across The Pearl-Qatar, with additional collection points being continually added to encourage all residents to re-use and recycle.As a result of UDC’s recycling programme for its offices, over 10 tonnes of paper and four tonnes of plastic are recycled per year.For the month of August 2019, a total of 650kg of paper and 304kg of plastic bottles cardboard were recycled.This is the equivalent of 258 trees or 108,368 gallons of water.UDC’s strategy, which aims to raise awareness of the significant role that recycling plays in preserving the ecosystems, is executed on all UDC’s ongoing and planned projects, as well as the company’s day-to-day operations.Among these initiatives, UDC promotes paperless transactions, utility optimisation, smart lighting, and the collection and recycling of paper and plastic bottles across all its offices, the statement added.