A couple of tourists look into the sea at the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh in South Sinai, Egypt, March 23, 2016 (AFP)
Egypt's environment ministry announced the removal of 14 tonnes of waste from the Red Sea port as part of a government campaign launched recently to protect biodiversity in the coastal destination.
The 10-day initiative, called Ethadar lel-Akhdar ("Be Civilised towards the Green"), aims to clean the seabed of the Red Sea to preserve Egypt's natural resources.
The initiative kicked off under the auspices of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on 19 June.
Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad said on Friday that the waste extracted in the first four days consisted of plastic, glass, metal, wood, and other substances, adding "all wastes have been transferred to a sanitary landfill for safe disposal."
Dozens of divers are participating in the initiative in coordination with civil society, the environment ministry's tourism sector, and the Red Sea governorate.
As of 1 July, Egypt will resume receiving tourists, after three months of flight suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic, but only into three coastal governorates: South Sinai, where the popular seaside resort of Sharm El-Sheikh is located; the Red Sea governorate, home to the city of Hurghada; and Marsa Matrouh on the Mediterranean Sea.
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