23 Sep 2013

Clean-up campaigns are not only important but a necessity, says local government and rural development assistant minister, Mr Olebile Gaborone.

Mr Gaborone said this at the commemoration of Clean-up the World Day in Ghanzi on September 20. The assistant minister said Botswana was faced with challenges of indiscriminate littering, illegal dumping of waste and unsanitary waste disposal sites.

He added that there was also a challenge of poorly resourced local authorities who were struggling to cope with waste management demands. Assistant Minister Gaborone said individuals, community groups, businesses and non-governmental organisations as well as government institutions should undertake various activities that would improve the well-being of the environment.

Such activities, he noted, included clean-up campaigns, planting trees, conserving water and educational activities to sensitise communities on the importance of caring for the environment.

Mr Gaborone said waste was dumped illegally along roadsides, in public places and in the bush. He said the illegal dumping of waste polluted the environment and was a threat to sustainable development in sectors such as tourism as well as being a danger to public health. He implored Batswana to take responsibility of keeping their environment clean.

“Each one of us can and must contribute towards making sure that our country is kept clean because this is the only home we have,” said the assistant minister. He also urged residents to individually and collectively raise awareness and to take practical actions to fight littering and illegal dumping of waste. He also encouraged residents to tap on waste as a readily available resource to sustain livelihoods and alleviate poverty.

“Our waste disposal sites are filled with streams of waste such as paper, plastics, cans and bottles which are recyclable,” he noted. He said by reclaiming and reusing waste, there would be a reduction on volumes of waste reaching disposal sites hence prolonging the lifespan of disposal facilities. ENDS