Monrovia – The Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Liberia, Nathaniel T. Blama Sr. has disclosed that the country’s marine ecosystem is being affected by plastic pollution.
Hon. Blama said the inability of people to reused plastic bags is causing serious pollution, because used plastic bags end-up in waterways causing flooding and environmental degradation in Liberia.
Making a special statement at the celebration of the 2018 World Environment Day in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, EPA Boss disclosed that plastic pollution is now a global threat that must be stopped.
June 5, is celebrated globally as World Environment Day to stimulate awareness of the environment and enhance political attention and public action. The national theme for this year’s celebration is: ‘Say no to plastic pollution’, while the global theme is “Beat Plastic Pollution if you can reuse it, refuse it”.
Speaking further Hon. Blama said, Buchanan City; the venue of the celebration is no exception to the massive destruction of the wetland and the beautiful ocean.
Buchanan is threatened by sea erosion and might be a perfect reason while it was selected for the 2018 celebration of World Environment Day.
According to Hon. Blama, most of the plastic that people used end-up on the beaches, because people thrown them in water bodies and in the streets and they are washed away and eventually end-up on the beaches.
“It is about time that we work as a people and country to put in place system and policies that will help us minimize plastic pollution,” he said.
The EPA Boss made reference to some countries that have taken actions to end plastic pollution and said in those countries people used paper bags instead of plastic bags.
He challenged Liberians to change our attitude toward how they engage the environment.
“We usually say at the EPA that, nature doesn’t forgive. If you don’t take positive action, anything you do there will be effect of your action. If you don’t act positively to protect the environment you will feel the negative impact,” Mr. Blama said.
He emphasized the need for Liberians to put-up a new attitude of reusing plastic bags and desist from dropping water plastics in the street. Mr. Blama said it would prevent flooding because drainages are usually blocked due to plastic bags.