Busy day for garbage collectors in Oman as people celebrate National Day

Muscat: An army of 250 workers was deployed to clean up Muscat’s littered streets, gardens and beaches on Saturday, the day after the country celebrated its National Day, a senior official of the Muscat Municipality said.
“Special teams of cleaners were deployed at the capital’s major attractions last weekend,” said Said Al Qassabi, director general of health affairs of the Muscat Municipality at Greater Muttrah.
“We did not receive any complaint this weekend and are gearing up for the upcoming four-day holidays, which will involve a lot more work,” Al Qassabi added.
People from all walks of life gathered in parks and public places on Friday to celebrate the National Day by organising rallies and shows. Almost all the parks, beaches and streets in Muscat were packed with nationals and residents until the early hours of Saturday. On Saturday, municipality workers were seen cleaning coastal streets and parking lots where citizens and residents had gathered to celebrate and watch the fireworks.
Midnight until dawn
“Trash trucks remained busy from midnight until dawn, cleaning garbage from neighbourhoods and public destinations,” Al Qassabi said, urging people to be aware of, and avoid, bad habits such
as littering.
“After 46 years of renaissance, we as a society should not be requiring awareness but setting an example,” he said, admitting that some of the picnickers carelessly litter the public places. Al Qassabi also said people should call the municipality’s hotline 1111 to report any undesirable situation.
Meanwhile, the clean-up workers said it was a busy day for them.
“Oman is a beautiful country.We don’t know why people are careless and throw garbage around. However, this year, we were prepared and therefore, it was easy for us. Now, [we are] waiting for the four-day holidays. [We] hope people will listen to the officials’ plea not to litter in public places,” one worker said.
The authority posted pictures of certain littered areas in Qurum on November 19, a day after the National Day, and urged people to be responsible andmaintain cleanliness in public places.