THE //Karas region has announced that the national clean-up set for Friday will become an annual event to rid the region of litter, while enhancing public environmental awareness.
In an interview with yesterday, //Karas governor Lucia Basson said some local authorities in the region have already started cleaning up their towns.
“Community members are organised in some local authorities, which have already started cleaning their towns and villages by using resources at their disposal,” she stated.
According to Basson, her office has received 10 000 pairs of gloves, 10 000 black plastic bags, and 10 000 dust masks from the Office of the Prime Minister for the clean-up operation, while NamWater would supply water.
She said 100 soldiers from the Captain Hendrik Witbooi Barracks would be deployed to clean areas that are far for residents to walk to. The governor also urged all inhabitants of the region to participate in the clean-up operation.
“I urge all the citizens of //Karas to join us in the clean-up campaign.
A clean nation is a healthy nation,” she added. Meanwhile, Hardap governor Esme Isaack said the region is 110% ready for the clean-up campaign on Friday.
They had already started a regional clean-up operation on 9 May, which covered villages and towns like Maltahöhe, Gibeon, Kriess, Gochas, Hoachanas, Mariental, Stampriet and Aranos.
Isaack expressed satisfactionwith the citizens who participated in the regional clean-up campaign, describing them as a “Hardap team”.
The main regional clean-up campaign will be held at Rehoboth because it is the entry town to the region.
“It is the exit and entry point to the Hardap region,” she added.
ADD cleanup page 5 Mariental public relations officer Domingo Matesu declared the clean-up day attended by about 500 people in Mariental on Monday as part of the nationwide clean-up campaign, a huge success.
Speaking to Nampa on Monday, Matesu said the public came out in big numbers to clean their town.
“The community stood up and made their mark by being part of the campaign. It showed they want Mariental to be clean,” Matesu said.
He said residents and visitors should now refrain from dumping their rubbish anywhere. “They should now take a stand and report those that willingly dump their trash anywhere. We have skip containers where they can throw in their garden rubble, and each house is provided with wheelie-bins to make use of,” he said.
Matesu further said it is time people take cleanliness seriously.
“Cleanliness starts at home and should be practised in public. A clean environment will go a long way in attracting investors to Mariental.
Education minister Katrina Hanse-Himarwa, who was also part of the clean-up alongside deputy minister of Land Reform, Priscilla Beukes, said the participants were energised and jovial during the event.
“It was a special moment to see people this happy for a clean-up day. We were divided into groups, and I was part of a group cleaning near the railway, where everyone was in good spirits,” she said.
Hanse-Himarwa said she proposed a similar venture when she was still governor of the Hardap Region.
“We should not wait for this type of day to clean our environment and should start at home. I remembered during my birthday in 2012, I called a clean-up day in Mariental and encouraged people to make cleanliness an everyday routine and clean each town in the region,” Hanse-Himarwa said.
She said cleanliness starts at the individual level, then to family cleanliness and should be converted into environmental cleanliness.
The minister urged people to make cleanliness a tradition and suggested a competition should be implemented among regions to award the cleanest region.
“People can also appoint ward cleaning committees in keeping their areas clean. If there is a specific area that is not adhering or transgressing, then they should be fined,” she concluded.
– additional reporting by Nampa
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