Clean the City: Volunteers get rid of garbage from the beach

KARACHI: Just a day after the sounds of the Ancholi blasts echoed through the city and people were traumatised by the scenes, a group of youngsters aimed to divert the public’s mind by helping to clean up the city’s beach.

Their task is hard. Most people are reluctant to go outside, but thanks to the drive’s social media campaign, at least 1,000 people, including actors, models, students and businessmen arrived at Sea View beach to initiate a ‘Clean the City’ drive on Sunday.



The drive started around 3pm and went on for four hours, with a large number of volunteers participating actively.

“The government and the army are responsible for peace in the country but as members of society, we have to do something to benefit it as well,” said event organiser Faheem Abbas.

The organisers wore colourful dresses with safety gloves and filled black bags with garbage that littered the oft visited beach. Seeing the work, a large number of people passing by also joined in. “It is a fun activity since we are doing something different in the city,” Abbas explained.

Rubab, a volunteer who is a model by profession, told The Express Tribune that the activity aimed to improve awareness and increase the sense of personal responsibility among the residents of the city.

Samia Jamil, a chef, stated that garbage at the beach poses a serious threat for its marine habitat and was delighted with the drive’s progress. “There was overwhelming response from the general public and we will now be organising drives in other parts of the city,” she said. “Today we have collected at least 1,000 bags of garbage.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 25^th, 2013.