Annually, the 3rd Saturday in September, volunteers around the world remove millions of pounds of discarded material from oceans and waterways as part of the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC). Trinidad was no exception as on Saturday 20th September, 2014 at approximately 19 beaches and waterways across the country, dedicated volunteers rendered their time and service in this data collection exercise.
The Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) journeyed to the east coast to Manzanilla to clean up the surrounding environment and improve the beach's aesthetics for ICC 2014. The Honourable Minister Ganga Singh as well as the Honourable Minister Romana Ramdial, alongside the Permanent Secretary, Ms. Vidiah Ramkelawan and representatives of the Ministry's Head Office, the Environmental Policy and Planning Division (EPPD), the Communications Department,Human Resources, the Accounts Division, the Water and Sewage Authority (WASA) and the National Reforestation and Watershed Rehabilitation Programme (NRWRP) all braved the inclement weather on that morning to support’ Trash Free Seas’.
Within their groups of four, participants enthusiastically collected plastic bottles, food wrappers, grocery bags, bottle caps, fishing rope, dead animals and other debris both natural and anthropogenic. By the end of the cleanup exercise, several bags of debris were collected and the condition of the beach improved considerably, as did the weather.
All sponsors and volunteers deserve commendation for continuously organising and supporting this event. Their efforts are useful for providing quantitative data to inform decision makers, researchers, the public and organisations such as the Caribbean Network for Integrated Rural Development (CNIRD) and the National Planning Committee (NPC). Additionally, this initiative provides substantive
evidence of the need for us to heighten our environmental cognizance and
alter our behaviour, in the hope that in future years less debris will
be collected from these coastal sites.
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| Honourable Minister of the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Ganga Singh (centre) with the staff of the MEWR who participated in ICC 2014. |
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