The Sunday News
THE environment around us is an essential part of human survival. I like to believe that people who do not care about the environment, simply do not understand how important it is to all of us. These are my reasons why you should be concerned about the environment. A clean environment is essential for healthy living: The more you don’t care about our environment, the more it will become polluted with contaminants and toxins that have a harmful impact on our health. Air pollution can cause respiratory diseases and cancer, among other problems and diseases. Water pollution can lead to typhoid, diarrheal diseases, among others. Local authorities have to promote care for the environment, says Olumide Idowu in an article published by fundogtips.com.
While local authorities are mandated with service delivery and making sure that residents live in clean and healthy environments, it is also important that residents themselves play ball and keep the environment clean. People have to avoid littering the streets. Vendors have an important role to play as they work in the streets. They have to continuously clean their workplaces so that garbage does not build up, as what has happened in Bulawayo.
Last week, the Bulawayo City Council, working with the Tourism Ministry and Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, embarked on a cleanup campaign, following weeks of complaints that the Bulawayo Central Business District (CBD) was an eyesore and a health ticking time bomb. The council then identified 43 waste hotspots in the CBD which were then targeted for cleaning from Wednesday to Friday last week.
The city’s Town Clerk, Mr Christopher Dube, said the aim of the clean-up campaign was to reduce the risk of waste-related disease outbreaks that can affect all areas in the city.
“The aim is to reduce the risk of waste-related disease outbreaks that can affect all areas in the city due to the centrality of the CBD. This can be further worsened should rains come before the waste has been cleared as the waste will be washed into storm drains and blocked storm drains give rise to flash flooding and increase breeding of mosquitoes and spread of disease,” said Mr Dube.
According to a map of the areas targeted in the campaign, 43 waste hotspots were identified in the city. Five of the major hotspots were corner Lobengula Street and Second Avenue, Third Avenue between Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo and Jason Moyo Street, corner George Silundika and Third Avenue, Fourth Avenue between Fife Street and George Silundika and Fifth Avenue between Robert Mugabe Way and Josiah Tongogara Street. Ninth Avenue has most of the hotspots, with a majority of them being on sanitary lanes, while the illegal Fifth Avenue vegetable market area has four hotspots.
“Environment is a place where humans as well as plants and animals live. It is necessary to keep our environment clean because we get fresh air, reduced pollution, etc. An unclean environment leads to a bad condition of a society, arrival of diseases and many more related problems. To keep environment clean, a healthy and balanced natural systems are essential for adopting and supporting life on this planet. Society relies on nature to provide us with the resources for our survival which includes air, water, food, fibres, medicines, and building materials. Children need to grow up with an awareness of the nature around them. As human beings we have a responsibility to preserve the actual value of nature both for ourselves and for future generations too,” says Olumide Idowu.
