Muscat – Anas Malik al Abri from Al Hamra and his German friend Frederich Schatz set off on a 1,600km cycling adventure on Tuesday through several wilayats to address the menace of plastic waste and spread awareness on the environment.

Indicating the urgency of their message, they named their 25-day campaign ‘The Last Call’.
Speaking to Muscat Daily, Abri said, “The trip starts in the wilay-at of Dhalkut and will go through Rakhyut, Salalah, Taqah, Mirbat, Sadah, Shalim, Al Jazir, Duqm, Mahout, Al Jaalin, Sur and Quriy-at before ending in Muscat.”

The route will take the cyclists along the eastern coast of the sultanate as they spread environmental awareness among members of local communities on the dangers posed by plastics to the marine environment.

“We will urge people to not throw plastic into the ocean. Every piece of plastic that is intentionally or unintentionally thrown into nature is harmful and destructive, causing many environmental and health problems. Plastic waste is fatal to all desert, mountainous or marine environments.”

Abri and Schatz prepared well before setting off on their campaign. “We worked on our fitness level and cycled at different times in the day to acclimatise to different riding conditions during the trip,” said Abri.

The two cyclists are carrying along safety equipment, a tent, water, beverages and canned food.
Abri informed that Schatz came to Oman on a motorbike, riding through 14 countries on the way. “He’ll continue his bike ride after our campaign. He aims to reach Africa.”

Abri believes such trips help promote domestic tourism, while helping convey important messages. “Activities like this are helpful for social causes. I urge Omani youngsters to take part in such voluntary campaigns for the betterment of society.”