By Charles Gbayor,charlesmenlor@gmail.com
HARPER, Liberia- The Pan African Volunteer Network in collaboration with the Tubman University Concerned Students movement, Tubman University Volunteers Movement and other groups have launched a massive awareness and cleanup campaign of beaches and the environment in the Southeastern Maryland County.
Harper is 784 kilometers from the Liberian capital, Monrovia.
Other groups involved in the exercise are the Students Unification Alliance, Youth Effecting Sustainable Change, the College of Health Sciences, WASH Committee, Association of Females Engineer at Tubman University, Tubman University Students Government Association at Liberia’s second state university in the port city of Harper.
The launch of the campaign recently saw some students in the Communities Creating massive awareness on cleaning the Environment for A healthy life and maintaining nature like Beaches, The Ocean amongst other.
The Campaign was launched under the theme: Say No to beach Pollution
The Maryland County Correspondent of www.newspublictrust.com said scores of people were seen cleaning up using shovels, rake and broom to clean the area over at three breaches in Harper during the launch of the clean-up campaign.
According to Josiah S. Wonasue, Team Leader of PAVON, they are cleaning three famous breaches he named the Old Kru Town, Tubman Beach and the Ayee Beach in Harper City.
Scott said they were cleaning the beaches to give them a face lift and collecting Plastics from Various Beaches and they campaign message is say no to Plastic pollution because they believed that Plastic posse a serous treat to the species from the Ocean and Human even the environment.
The PAVON team leader disclosed that due to lack of measures by the Maryland County Local Authority and the Harper City Cooperation, citizens were misusing the Beaches in Harper as dumpsite and Toilet Facilities.
“I was surprised that the people of Harper can use beach as Dump site and toilet bathroom facilities and is wrong and people should stop such act,” he said.
The Old Kru, Tubman And Ayee beaches are all in Harper, but lacks proper management by operators and Citizens, Old Kru Town Beach has been misused by those living around the beach as Dump site, bathing and open defecation.
Mr Scott used the occasion to appeal to the Government of Liberia, The International Community and the Maryland County Local Authority including the Harper City Cooperation to empower community members to properly manage beaches in The County.
These Beaches are natural gift from God and people should managed it properly and the County Authority in collaboration with the HCC to put Trash Cans in Communities alone the Atlantic coast for people to put dirt and stop using beaches for garbage disposal.
Although the Harper City Cooperation has placed several Trash Cans in and around Harper, it has failed to collect garbage from these collection points for more than three months now.
According to the City Major of Harper, Madam Ellen Blessing Howe, the city Cooperation they don’t have Vehicle or tra-Circle to collect dirt from the streets and point.
The Mayor told journalist that people refuses to pay fifty Liberian dollars as fees for garbage collection from various Communities and the City Cooperation is struggling currently to pay it staffers.
Also speaking to www.newspublictrust.com, Mamadou Sall, President of the Tubman University Volunteers Movement said they are partnering with Eight collaborating organizations to carry out the cleanup Exercises to give the City a beautiful look.
Tubman University Volunteers Movement is a non- profitable and political Organization on the campus of the state second University that seeks to random help as volunteers to institutions and the Environment.
The TUVM President disclosed that they will not continue to clean beaches in the County and people who are operating Beaches should take charge or responsibility of cleaning the area on a weekly or monthly basics and beaches are recreational Centers.
“I am sending this message as a wakeup call for citizens and Residents in Harper to take responsibility and initiative of these Beaches,” Mr. Sall said.
I want to appeal to my brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers in the historical city of Harper please stop using Beaches as your bath room, Dump site and toilet facilities.
“We have to protect species under the Water and the Environment these species will be affected and the people of Maryland county will be affected.”
Mr Sall ,to Citizens or inhabitants of the Beach Communities in Harper please stop using Beaches as your bath room, dump sites and toilet facilities this is wrong and harmful for both the Species and Human living in the County.
“I want the City Cooperation to Create an Environment where the Communities and the City Cooperation will work together to ensure clean city for Healthy Environment Harper City have been dirt for a very long period of time now,” Mr. Sall added.