BY SIMON NDIVE KALLA
As Cameroon joined the world to celebrate international Coastal clean-up Day on Saturday September 19, 2021 tagged "Keep trash in the bin and not in ocean”.
A Non Governmental Organisation, known as Association of Community Awareness, ASCOA, partners with the Ministry of Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development MINPDED South West on Saturday September 2021 to rallied youths to clean up the Batoke coastline in Limbe II Subdivision.
Speaking to the press after the exercise, the CEO and founder of ASCOA, Linus Ayangwoh Embe said they decided to visit Batoke Coastline to see how they can showcase and also join the international community to commemorate the day by cleaning the coastline, it should be noted that, in June ASCOA was at Ngeme Coastline beach to clean Ngeme Coast beach.
Quizzed why ASCOA is embarking on cleaning the coastline Embe said, their aim is to creat awareness so that other organisations and other community members mostly coastline communities to emulate and join their ideas together to keep the coastline clean. Especially the ocean which is very important to our health.
The CEO added that, cleaning the ocean is not only their main, August 27 they organised a webinar on marine debric and plastic pollution, he revealed that in October they will be at the University of Buea to educate students environmental departments on marine debris and plastic pollution.
Maybe the next coming month which is October, we are going to the university of buea to educate the environmental science students on marine debric and plastic pollution.
‘I will like to extend a message to the entire community of Fako division for them to understand that what ASCOA is doing not just for the benefit of the organisation but for the entire community
So am pleading that, once we call for events like these, they should always show up. Like today we have close to 150 volunteers that came out to observe or to support ASCOA’ Linus Ayangwoh said.
On her part, the Chief of service for sensitisation of the Regional Delegate of the Ministry of Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development, MINPDED South West Asanji Patience said, the activity falls in line with national environmental laws. She said the ministry is trying at all levels to complete the chain of waste management. Asanji congratulated ASCOA and encouraged them to do more, while urging other organisations to emulate what ASCOA is doing to keep the coastline clean.
She urged the population of Batoke to always clean their beach and should not deposit plastic at the shore. She emphasised that, her ministry always partners with NGO to empower the community in environmental activities.
On her part, Ruth Enjema environmental coordinator for ASCOA said; “We have carried out beach clean up at Batoke beach in Limbe II and this is very important because in the world today, we have a huge problem with plastic pollution and the ocean which is a major source of livelihood for most coastal communities, as well as a major source of food through fish and other animal life in the water has been facing threats.”
She added that, the clean up is part of a one year project which is meant to educate, because we have realised that cleaning up the dirty from the coastline is not enough. We need that people's mindsets should change towards wastes disposal .
Meanwhile, Enanga Esamba a volunteer, said it is an important move to give back to the community, that why she thought it wise to join the volunteer team.
‘The first thing I will say is we should be conscious of what we use and how we use it. It's going to be very sad cause non biodegradable plastics can last for over thousands of years. Is like you will live and die and the plastic you threw will still be on the floor. So it's very important for us to be conscious on how we use plastics”. Enanga Esamba said.
It should be noted that The first International Coastal Cleanup Day was observed in 1986. The day aims to increase public awareness about the accumulation and negative impacts of litter in oceans, on coastlines and on beaches.
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