As Eid Al Adha holidays draws to an end, beaches, islands and parks look quite miserable as holidayers left trail of trash in the last several days.

Even Purple Island, a hidden natural treasure 63km off Doha, was not spared from the huge mess that its visitors, who trooped in droves, have mindlessly thrown away.

At the entry to the island, huge mass of garbage including boxes, water bottles, plastic bags, plastic plates and cups can be seen scattered throughout the area where vehicles are parked.

The island itself is filled with the same rubbish in addition to old blankets, slippers, shoes, homemade barbecue grill, and pieces of wood which are an eyesore to every visitor to the island.

The tiny pieces of trash are trapped within the mangroves surrounding the island which others see as a cause of concern which may result to serious environmental consequences.

“Purple Island is a popular destination during weekends and visitors have no respect to the island as they leave their trash nonchalantly, but it looked more terrible after Eid with the huge amount of rubbish,” said a concerned expatriate.

“The island is a national treasure that must be taken care of; sadly visitors don’t take care about it littering all over the place even during Eid Al Adha, a religious festival,” added the environmental activist.

The same chronic problem persists on beaches such as Wakra and Sealine, two of the most visited spots in the country during weekends and holidays. They also saw huge amounts of garbage during the holidays.

“There are companies which come to places like Purple Island to conduct clean up campaigns from time to time, but after a month or two it’s back to the same condition,” he lamented.

Education, he said, is the best solution to the problem and that people should learn to “take with them whatever they bring to the island,” he added.

He suggested placing proper signage on these tourist spots reminding people not to litter in the area, as well as putting up facilities and educational centres whose staff would meet visitors so that they can be educated.

School programmes aimed at teaching children about the importance of keeping the environment clean can also be introduced in schools, he added.

Raynald C Rivera | The Peninsula