Tanzania commits to 'Clean Ocean' global campaign
What you need to know:
- Currently, the city produces around 4,600 tons of waste per day but only 40 percent of waste goes to a dump site leaving behind 60 percent which ends up outside of the formal waste system, often in water drains and the ocean, this suggests that the city’s waste management will be a challenge as the population grown.
Dar es Salaam. In tackling the environmental, economic, and social impact of climate change, The government will apply stricter regulations to hotels and industrial units that don’t conserve the environment.
The State Minister responsible for Union and Environment, Dr Selemani Jafo, said this yesterday when launching a campaign dubbed ‘Clean Ocean, My Responsibility’ meant to involve every stakeholder to protect and conserve the country’s beaches.
“Thanks to the campaign, which was sponsored by Ramada Resort, at least 20 tons of waste was collected in just five hours. We need to work together, because waste, trash and litter find their way into the ocean from many sources and are harmful to the environment and beaches in particular,” said the Minister.
Adding that: “It often starts on land as litter and is either windblown or carried by storm water into waterways, where it ultimately flows into the sea and washes up on beaches. In addition to endangering biodiversity, litter-covered beaches also negatively affect tourism and the coastal economy.”
Analysts indicated that apart from being the fastest growing and most populated city in the country, Dar es Salaam is currently Africa’s fifth most populous city; it is projected to grow from the current estimated six million people to 13.4 million by 2035, crossing the megacity threshold of 10 million before 2035.
Currently, the city produces around 4,600 tons of waste per day but only 40 percent of waste goes to a dump site leaving behind 60 percent which ends up outside of the formal waste system, often in water drains and the ocean, this suggests that the city’s waste management will be a challenge as the population grown.
For his part, Mr Godwin Gondwe, Kinondoni District Commissioner, said: “Kinondoni possess a 41 kilometre of sand beaches which are polluted, in an effort to make the environment is clean and attract more tourist, we’ve introduced a clean-up exercise that is done on a weekly basis and although we produce at least 1250 tons of waste, at least 75 percent is formally collected.”
Commenting on, a representative from Ramada Resort Mr Robert Anthon said: “For us we have been cleaning our beach on everyday basis, we have decided to support this campaign as an effort to educate the public about coast and marine conservation, we want to see stakeholder in the hospitality sector to protect the ocean from threat of plastic pollution.”
