Say no to filthy surroundings
KATIMA MULILO – The World Cleanup Day, which is celebrated on 18 September every year, was held in Katima Mulilo last weekend.
The event, which was launched in 2018, has been celebrated in Namibia every year since its launch by the environment ministry.
In a speech read on his behalf by Zambezi governor Lawrence Sampofu, environment minister Pohamba Shifeta said government was implementing activities that will ensure the protection of the environment together with everything in it for the benefit of the current and future generations.
This is done through forming partnerships with key stakeholders in the civic, public and private sectors to safeguard the environment.
“Filthy surroundings attract diseases in addition to the risk of harming the environment,” he said.
According to Shifeta, such areas in most cases become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, which transmit diseases like malaria. The increasing sight of litter everywhere further makes our homes, town, and cities unattractive to visitors and investors gaining a bad reputation.
“The Zambezi region is strategically positioned to attract both tourists and investors as a transit town to at least three countries, namely Zambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Therefore, the region must market itself as a tidy place to attract visitors and investors,” Shifeta said.
The Kavango and Zambezi rivers are important rivers providing water for agriculture, wildlife and human consumption, therefore, we have the obligation to keep our environment clean and avoid waste from reaching the water streams and the rivers, he added. Sampofu further said he was happy with the participation of the residents in the cleanup campaign. “Cleanliness is important in our lives. Our environment must be clean at all times, so that we avoid diseases such as Cholera. It is important to keep our environment clean, not just for our animals but for humans as well,” said the governor.
It is said that cleanliness is next to godliness, so it is of vital importance to keep our environment clean. We have seen the dirt surrounding us and it does not look good if our investors or visitors see dirt like this, they will conclude that we are all dirty, which is not the case, he further said.
He added that Zambezi is the mirror because most of the investors and visitors from countries like Zambia, DRC, Malawi, Angola, Botswana and Zimbabwe come through this region, thus this place must be clean to show the good image of Namibia, which is very important.