232news
By Allieu Bockarie
The Minister of Environment and Climate Change in Sierra Leone Professor Foday Jaward on Thursday 9 March launched a three days cleaning project at Lumley Beach in Freetown. The cleaning project was organized by the Commonwealth Games Association in Sierra Leone with the code name ‘Commonwealth Games Changer’.
The theme of the cleaning project is ‘The Power of Sport to mobilize and raise awareness for our environment’.
In his keynote address, the Minister of Environment Prof. Foday Jaward made a key point that cleaning the environment is a way of saving lives.
In this case, he said to secure the environment there should be a law for environmental crimes. Enforcing these laws, he said the public will take it serious to up the environments.
He went on that he was at the program because the up keeping of the environment is the duty of his Ministry.
The Minister said if the environment is filthy the next question will be the credibility of his Ministry. He commended the organizers for helping to keep the beaches clean. Cleaning the beach, he said will encourage more tourists to come into the country.
The cleaning of the environment, he said should be done on regular basis and it should be a priority for all.
The most dangerous garbage, he said that the public should stop throwing in the sea is plastic particles.
He told the audience that cleaning of the environment should go with the protection of the environment by planting trees and stopping the unnecessary burning of the bush.
A representative from Orange Mobile Company Mabel Mason said her company was proud to be part of the project.
She went on that at Orange, they also observe environment cleaning week in May every year in which they will work with their staff members to see how they could secure and protect the environment.
Major Browne from the Army said it is always their role to protect the environment with cleaning being their primary objective.
This, he said their barracks and their other environment can tell. Besides, he said most of the cleaning activities in the city have been done by the Army.
Presently, he said they are in charge to protect the Guma valley environment from deforestation which he said can bring climate change.
The president of the Commonwealth Games Association in Sierra Leone Prince Sualley said this year they think about cleaning the beach with the benefit from the Commonwealth Games project.
In this case, he said they have formed a committee to oversee the cleaning project which will involve athletes from various Olympic sports.
In the Olympic sports are beach games as such they need the beach to train and organize competitions.
The president said keeping the beach clean is a way of keeping the athletes healthy in a healthy environment.
The other speakers at the program were the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Sports, a representative of the National Sports Authority, a representative from the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and Dove Edwin from Freetown City Council.
The symbolic cleaning of the beach will end on Sunday with a display of different beach sports at the beach.
