It is refreshing to walk around the
This is to a large extent due to the KMC tractors, trailers and teams of workers who have been travelling the area removing the large rubbish piles, which had been gathering for a significant amount of time.
We have praised the efforts of these teams when they began their service, and urged them to do a good job in the face of an uphill struggle. Now it seems as though a very effective system is in place, as the main streets are noticeably cleaner.
Bins are regularly filled with rubbish indicating that people are definitely using them. Coupled with this is the fact that instances of littering along the main avenue has also reduced.
It is clear from these experiences that people are very eager to make use of proper sanitation services, if they are available. People want a clean environment, and they show this by making use of litter bins, where they are available, and rubbish collection where that can be accessed also. This is an important lesson to us all.
However, we would like to buttress on the call by the Chief Executive Officer of the Kanifing Municipal Council, as highlighted in one of our stories today, for landlords and landladies to pay their rates and businesspeople their taxes, on time.
This will, no doubt, enable the council to embark on more development projects, whose implementation depends on the annual rates and taxes collected by the KMC, which in fact heavily counts on these main sources of revenue for survival.
People should be ready to pay their rates and taxes so as to get development projects in return. It is only by paying their rates and taxes that the KMC can embark on projects for the various communities.
The government has reiterated the importance of a healthy environment, and it seems that people are indeed heeding its advice.
When there is a hygienic and clean environment people feel healthy, since they benefit from a reduction in the incidence of disease-carrying vermin such as rats, and mosquitoes.
We urge all in the private and public sectors to play their role in increasing the number of litter bins available to the general public.
We advise the KMC to better manage its Cleansing Service section, and to monitor its operations so as to ensure that its tractors and cleansing service workers are utilised efficiently, to provide a good refuse collection service to all residences and business premises.
Also, we would recommend that in order to keep the streets clean, it is necessary to enforce the anti-littering law.
It is our view that it is essential to use the media, on a daily basis, to sensitize the general public not to throw litter indiscriminately, and to beware that people will be prosecuted and fined very heavily just for littering.
Encouraging people to become active citizen-police will also help.
Clean streets and a pleasant environment in our communities will not only benefit our health, but also our image as a tourist destination.
“Not being healthy . . . . is one of the few sins that modern society is willing to recognize and condemn.”
Anonymous
