Residents Up In Arms Over Dumping
People continued to rubbish the nature reserve area despite the notices.
Residents of Colo-i-Suva have called for a stop to the dumping of rubbish along their roads.
A resident who was part of the clean up team over the weekend, Salote Senikau, alleged that residents have witnessed private cars and trucks dumping rubbish on the roadside at night.
Ms Senikau said forestry officers, youth groups and church members formed groups to conduct clean-ups as all sorts of rubbish dumped in the area at night. “Sometimes we clean it ourselves because tourists come here all the time,” Ms Senikau said. “Those people who keep their home clean and dump their rubbish here are not at all concerned about the environment.”
A quick survey by the Fiji Sun team who visited the area on Sunday witnessed rubbish dumped on the road sides include old computers, printers, liquor bottles, wrappers, cartons, plastic cups and empty cans.
Colo-i-Suva forestry officer, Sikeli Wainiqolo, said they tried their best to send the message out to the public that the area was a nature reserve area.
Despite anti-litter sign boards erected around the Colo-i-Suva reserve area, people continued to do so.
Mr Wainiqolo said no fines were currently imposed against people dumping rubbish in the area. He said Forestry Department staff in Colo-i-Suva were conducting clean-up initiatives once a month.
The staff have been advising tourists and local visitors about the proper disposal of their litter when visiting the park, he said.
At the weekend, Colo-i-Suva Village youths, the Fiji Police Force and other stakeholders held a clean-up campaign in the area.
Youth leader, Jasiliva Ravia, said the clean-up in the area was being scheduled in their yearly plan and it was always sad to see that people continued to throw their rubbish in the area.
Rubbish collected by the youths included empty bottles, adult and baby diapers, household electrical items and wrappers.
The Permanent Secretary for Local Government, Housing and Environment, Joshua Wycliffe, said people caught disposing rubbish in the area would be penalised.
He said Colo-i-Suva was categorised as a public place as defined in the Litter Promulgation 2008 and this included every highway, road, public drain, private street, footpath, access way, service lane, court, mall, thoroughfare and bridge.