A safiyar wata ranar watan Yuni mai gajimare, na fito daga cikin wani jirgin ruwa na Zodiac mai gefen roba na hau kan wani jirgin ruwa mai shawagi a bakin kogin Ballona, inda ya hadu da Santa Monica Bay a gefen yamma na Los Angeles. Abu na farko da na lura? Kamshin da ke kaiwa shi ne iska mai gishiri—duk da manyan kwantena shida na shara da ke kan jirgin, wanda girmansa ya kai na filin wasan tennis.
Tsarin aikin ya kunshi jiragen ruwa guda biyu: wani karamin dandali yana cikin babban dandalin. Wani shingen shawagi yana jagorantar shara zuwa cikin na'urar, inda wani bel mai motsi ya kwashe ta. Sannan wani jirgi mai sarrafa kansa ya raba shara zuwa kwantena shida a kan wani jirgin ruwa na daban, kuma yana aika gargadi ga ma'aikatan idan daya ya cika. A sama, hasken rana ne ya zama rufin, kuma wani bel mai motsi a hankali yana jefa guntun filastik da shara a cikin kowane kwantena. Tsarin gaba daya na iya daukar kimanin fam 20,000 (kilogram 9,070) na shara—daidai da babbar mota da ta cika da kaya.
Tunda lokacin rani ne a LA, ba ruwan sama mai yawa da ke wanke shara daga kogin. Amma har yanzu ina iya ganin matsalolin: kwantena na polystyrene na abinci, kofuna na noodles, hular kwalba, wani fensir mai rawaya, da kuma wani ganyen dabino mai cike da kananan guntun filastik masu launuka. Dukansu sun kama a kan bel mai motsi na jirgin. Wannan hadewar ce ta saba, in ji James Patterson, manajan ayyuka na kungiyar Ocean Cleanup mai zaman kanta, wacce ta kirkiro tsarin. "Kana samun nau'ikan filastik iri-iri—kwalba da yawa, kofuna, kwantena na abinci, abubuwa daga gidajen abinci. Abin da muke gani a nan ke nan," in ji shi.
Bayan an cire shara, ana raba ta kuma aika ta zuwa wuraren zubar da ita. "Muna so mu tabbatar cewa daga farko zuwa karshe, muna cire shara cikin alhaki kuma an raba ta ko adana ta cikin hanyar da ta dace," in ji Patterson. "Ba ma son samun matsalar shara mai zagaye a nan."
Wannan jirgin ruwa na musamman misali ne ga wasu da ake tura su a duniya. Ocean Cleanup tana aiki a wurare 10 tare da tsarin Interceptor guda 21—a kasashe kamar Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Guatemala, Jamaica, da Dominican Republic. Manufar ita ce a tsaftace biranen 30 da suka fi gurbata da shara nan da shekarar 2030.
Babban ra'ayin? Dakatar da shara kafin ta isa teku. "Maimakon mayar da hankali kan wasu koguna na musamman, manufar ita ce tsaftace wani yanki gaba daya, domin ta haka ne za ka yi tasiri na gaske ga al'umma da muhalli," in ji Patterson.
A cikin wannan kogi—karshen hanyar magudanar ruwa mai fadin murabba'in mil 130 a gundumar LA—jirgin ya hana fam 143,710 na shara shiga teku a shekarar 2025. Ocean Cleanup na shirin kaddamar da wasu jiragen ruwa guda biyu a yankin LA, a kan kogin San Gabriel da kogin Los Angeles. Tana yin tasiri ga al'ummomin bakin teku, in ji Patterson. Garuruwan bakin teku da ke kudu da aikin sun rage kasafin kudinsu na gyaran rairayin bakin teku: kawai shara ta ragu a kan yashi, don haka ba sa bukatar tsaftacewa akai-akai.
Wanda ya kafa Ocean Cleanup, dan kasar Holland mai kirkire-kirkire kuma dan kasuwa Boyan Slat, da farko ya samu wahayi don amfani da fasaha don yakar Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Ya kirkiro fasahohin tacewa da za su iya kwashe hadewar shara daga saman ruwa. Amma yayin da suke binciken mafita, kungiyar mai zaman kanta ta mayar da hankali kan koguna—hanyoyin da ke dauke da shara zuwa tekunan duniya.
Koguna suna da mahimmanci. Binciken Ocean Cleanup ya nuna cewa koguna 1,000 ne kawai a duniya ke da alhakin kusan kashi 80% na filastik da ke shiga teku, kuma kashi 90% na duk gurbacewar teku ta fito daga koguna. "Dole ne mu kashe famfo kafin mu tace teku, in ba haka ba muna cire tsohuwar shara ne kawai muna maye gurbinta da sabuwar shara," in ji Patterson. "Kafin ka tsaftace Great Pacific Garbage Patch, da gaske kana bukatar ka dakatar da tushen."
Aikin zanen jirgin ruwa mai sarrafa kansa ya fara ne a shekarar 2017, kuma wannan aikin gwaji a LA ya fara a shekarar 2022. An kashe kusan dala miliyan 1.3 don zane da samun izini, kuma an bukaci karin dala miliyan 1.5 don tabbatar da jirgin da shingen a wurin. Kudin kula da shi na shekara-shekara shine $650,000, kuma Ocean Cleanup tana ba da Interceptor ga gundumar LA kyauta.
Ba tsari ne cikakke ba. Ina tsaye kan jirgin, na nuna wani kofin filastik ja da ke shawagi a saman ruwa a wajen shingen. Patterson ya daure fuska. "Lokacin da wani abu kamar haka ya tsere, yana ciwo," in ji shi. Amma wannan kofin banda ne. Ma'aikatan aikin jama'a sun yarda cewa manyan katakai sune mafi wuyar nau'in shara da za a iya magance su.
[Duba hoto cikin cikakken allo: Jirgin ruwan Ocean Cleanup yana sarrafa shara da aka kama a Ballona Creek a yammacin LA. Hoton: Ocean Cleanup]
Kowane kogi yana bukatar tsarin nasa na musamman. "Babu mafita daya da ta dace da kowa," in ji Patterson. "Kowane kogi yana da yanayinsa na daban—inda za ka iya kafa abubuwa, yadda gwamnatin gida da lokutan ba da izini suke, da kuma yanayin halitta."
Patterson ya kara da cewa jiragen ruwa ba safai suke samun matsala da namun daji ba, sai dai tsuntsaye. Tsuntsayen teku suna son zama da yin kashi a kan jirgin, wanda zai iya lalata karfe.
Yayin da muke sauka daga Interceptor mu koma kan Zodiac da zai kai mu gaci, na waiwaya kan kwantena na karfe na ce yadda komai yake da sauki: tattara shara mai shawagi, ajiye ta don zubar da ita daga baya. Daga waje, yana da kamar mai rikitarwa. "Yana iya zama kamar mai sauki," in ji Patterson, "amma a gaskiya, akwai aikin injiniya da yawa a cikin wadannan."
