A cleaning and embellishment campaign has been launched, today, at Sodnac, Quatre Bornes, by the minister of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change, Mr Kavydass Ramano. The Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Local Government and Disaster Risk Management, Dr Anwar Husnoo, was also present. This initiative is in line with Government’s policy to create a cleaner, greener and safer environment.
The cleaning and embellishment campaign aims to ensure an effective coordination between the public and private agencies responsible for cleaning and maintenance, and take action for the prompt cleanliness of various regions of the country. The campaign is based on a multi-sectoral approach and community participation.
In a statement, Minister Ramano expressed satisfaction that various institutions such as the Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change, the Municipal Council of Quatre Bornes and the force vive are working together and are engaged in such a project. This, he added, encourages the local community to continue the efforts towards sustainability for a better environment to live in. He recalled that similar cleaning campaigns have been organised at Les Salines, Residence Barkly, and Bain des Dames.
Minister Ramano pointed out that the objective of the campaign is to encourage Mauritians to act as responsible and environmentally conscious citizens by not engaging in activities that will cause any form of pollution and to raise awareness on the importance of preserving the natural beauty of the country.
He also highlighted the importance of keeping the environment clean. According to him, planet Earth is being drastically polluted by the irresponsible actions of mankind and added that one major consequence of the alarming trend of increasing forms of pollution is waste management. He reiterated Government’s commitment to promote a clean and healthy environment and emphasised that safeguarding the nature is at the core of his Ministry’s agenda.
He also recalled that penalty fees as regards littering and illegal dumping have increased so as to discourage the population to litter the environment. Fixed penalties of Rs 3 000 will henceforth be applied for littering, Rs 5 000 for littering rivers and oceans, and Rs 25 000 for illegal dumping, he added.
Lauding the benefits of composting, Mr Ramano highlighted the need to sensitise the population to the benefits of producing their own compost. He added that Government will implement the Solid Waste Strategy and hence the importance of inculcating the practices of segregation of waste amongst the population.
Furthermore, he dwelt on the issue of bare lands and appealed to citizens to act responsibly and keep their lands clean. He announced that the Ministry will soon have working sessions with Local authorities in a bid to tackle the problem of illegal dumping.
This campaign will comprise of a bulky waste collection at Residence St Jean, Sodnac, and Hillcrest; the cleaning of bare lands in the vicinity; and the distribution of compost bins and plants to force vives of the region.