Ndi Anambra have been called upon to be involved in the All Anambra Community Plastic Pick up challenge going on simultaneously in all the one hundred and seventy nine communities of the state.
The Anambra state Commissioner for Environment, Engineer Felix Odumegwu made the call in Awka during a sensitisation exercise embarked upon by the Ministry to sensitise the people on the need for individual involvement in tackling the challenge.
The exercise and reports that the sensitisation exercise kicked off from the Jerome Udorji Secretariat through Aroma to UNIZIK Junction, Ekwueme square and back to the secretariat.
The team led by the Commissioner, Engineer Odumegwu, Permanent Secretary of the ministry Mrs Ngozi Ilouno, and other Directors took to the streets, picking plastic bottles including sachet water nylon from the drainages, and sensitising the public on the need to ensure that drainages in front of their buildings are clean to allow free flow of water.
Speaking on the development, Engineer Odumegwu said that the sensitisation became necessary because of the importance Governor Chukwuma Soludo places on clean and green environment.
Engineer Odumegwu reiterated that plastic is a major challenge to a healthy environment, which he noted is reflected in the theme of this year’s World Environmental Day, “solution to plastic challenge” .
He urged everyone to key into the All Anambra Community Plastic Pick up challenge to either win a prize as the best in collection of the highest number of plastics or as the best in cleanliness under the three categories of Urban, Semi Urban and rural communities.
The Commissioner said that his Ministry is partnering with many recycling companies to off take the plastics from individuals who pick and bring the plastics to them and pay them a certain amount of money immediately.
On her part, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs Ilouno said the Ministry has been proactive in achieving Governor Soludo’s vision of clean and green Anambra state which he engineered by flagging of desilting of drainages when he assumed office.
Mrs Ilouno added that the Ministry has concluded plans to arrest and prosecute any individual whose drainage is filled with sand and debris which will start as soon as they bring out notice on that and disclosed that they are working in conjunction with lawyers from Ministry of Justice to effect the desired behavioral change in Ndi Anambra.
The Director Environmental Health and Pollution Control in the Ministry, Mrs Oluchi Nwankwu, explained that picking up plastics is now a business on its own in Anambra as every plastic picker earns money from each plastic, noting that removing plastics from drainage channels helps in erosion control and keeps the environment clean at all times.
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