Republic of Mauritius- Campaign to encourage citizens to be environmentally conscious

The Minister of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change, Mr Kavydass Ramano, the Minister of Tourism, Mr Georges Pierre Lesjongard, the Minister of Technology, Communication and Innovation, Mr Darsanand Balgobin and the Minister of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping, Mr Sudheer Maudhoo were present.

In his keynote address, Minister Ramano highlighted that the objective of this campaign is to further sensitise the population on safety measures at sea and on the importance of keeping the beaches clean as well as refraining to litter on the beaches during the festive season.  It is also a continuum of the ‘Clean Up the World’ campaign which is celebrated internationally every year during the third weekend of September,

The Minister reiterated the crucial importance of keeping the environment clean with the upcoming cyclonic season.  A series of activities including the cleaning of public beaches and lagoons as well as rivers will be carried out with the joint collaboration of various public authorities during the Pre-Festive Clean Up Campaign, he indicated.  The Campaign is being held from Thursday 05 December 2019 to Thursday 12 December 2019.

Mr Ramano also spoke about the current situation in Mauritius as regards waste generation. In 2018, 543 196 tons of waste – out of which 76 000 tons were plastic waste- were generated and for a population of about 1.3 million, this increasing amount of waste generation is indeed alarming, he stated.

The Minister also appealed to the population to keep the country clean as the cleanliness and embellishment of Mauritius is not only Government’s and the private sector’s responsibility but concerns each and every citizen of the country.

For his part, Mr Lesjongard recalled that tourism, over time, has thrived as a key pillar of the economy. The global tourism industry is at the forefront of the digital impact and is gradually reshaping the way tourism business is done, he pointed out.  Therefore, with the advent of technological assets such as high-speed Internet connectivity, social platforms, and mobile phones, it is becoming increasingly important for Mauritius to prevent growing sources of pollution so as to further increase our country’s visibility on the international tourism market, he highlighted.

As for Minister Maudhoo, he raised the alarm as regards the deteriorating situation prevailing on our planet, especially our beaches. The Minister stressed on the urgent need to safeguard the environment from all sources of pollution, especially marine pollution, and appealed the population to take individual and collective actions to help clean up and preserve the planet.