By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, April 11: Sarawak Deputy Premier Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian emphasised the importance of waste management culture and encouraged everyone to keep Kota Samarahan clean because the district is an integral part of Sarawak due to its designation as a ‘Kota Ilmu’ (Town of Knowledge) and ‘Kota Kesihatan’ (Town of Health).
During the launching ceremony of the Kota Samarahan Municipal Council (MPKS) ‘Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)/Healthy City’ initiative held this morning at the Kota Samarahan Civic Centre, he stated that Kota Samarahan had prided itself as a Town of Knowledge, but if there’s rubbish everywhere, it would also end up being a laughing stock.
“We don’t want it to be so that when you look out of the first Autonomous Rail Transit (ART) in Sarawak, you’ll see rubbish here and there.
“We also don’t want students who will be our future leaders to throw rubbish everywhere.
“We want Kota Samarahan to be a place where people want to live in because it is safe and clean,” he said.
He went on to say that Kota Samarahan is also an integral part of Sarawak’s health metropolis, so it is crucial to keep the place clean.
“I understand that many municipalities spend a significant amount of money on solid waste management.
“The irony is that we spend a lot of money dealing with waste, but the problem persists, indicating that the people’s attitude and culture must be changed,” he explained.
Dr Sim also urged the public to act as the government’s eyes and ears by photographing or videotaping people who litter or carry out illegal dumping and reporting them to local councils, who will prosecute the irresponsible violators.
Furthermore, he requested the Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) to table a master plan for Sarawak’s solid waste management system to improve environmental sustainability under the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy 2030.
“Once again, I hope that this will be the start of changing Sarawak’s waste management culture so that by 2030, we will have a sustainable environment in Sarawak,” he concluded.
MPKS chairman Datuk Peter Minos was among those present. — DayakDaily
