Trash net great initiative, let’s spread message
The installation of a trash net at the Bailey Bridge in Vatuwaqa in Suva is a tangible step to show that we are serious about protecting our environment from polluters.
After years of talking about the issue, we are finally doing something that has been long overdue.
The net will help environmental officers from doing a daily audit of the kind of rubbish that get washed down stream.
It will also assist them in tracking down polluters who deliberately trash our waterways without realising the irreparable damage they are causing our waterways and ocean.
Enforcement of the law governing the protection of our environment has been weak to say the least. Sometimes it makes the relevant authorities look like toothless tigers.
If we are serious about protecting our environment, then we must take the necessary action against those that defy the law. There should be a clear and unambiguous message that we mean business when we talk about the keeping our environment clean.
We cannot even get our act together on enforcing the anti-litter law. We run hot and cold. This newspaper has conducted a series of campaigns against the indiscriminate disposal of rubbish.
There is a rise in interest, some action is taken and then then we go quiet again.
There needs to be sustained action against offenders before the message sinks home. The message should be zero tolerance on acts against the environment.
After years of people taking the issue lightly, it requires a concerted effort to change the mindset. We are paying the price for years of lack of appropriate action. When people know that the jaw enforcers are weak, they will continue doing what they do. They will only change when they see people getting prosecuted for breaking environmental law.
The Bailey Bridge initiative is an excellent one and should be applauded. We only hope that it does not end there, but is expanded so that the message goes out far and wide – let’s keep our environment clean.