Many hands make light work: Workers cleaning the sea shore of trash in Kota Kinabalu.
KOTA KINABALU: An action plan is being devised to address the indiscriminate dumping of rubbish, including that thrown into rivers, the sea and all non-designated places, says Kota Kinabalu City Hall.
It said trash pollution in the city had reached a critical level and had to be tackled holistically, with cooperation from the public and all parties. It added awareness programmes must also be enhanced to educate the public on indiscriminate dumping.
City Hall plans to install “rubbish traps” in critical areas.
Trash that washes up to shore and close to jetties and ferry terminals are mainly from nearby water villages, it said.
It added that the change of wind directions in March could have also contributed to the amount of trash washing up in these areas.
Last month alone, City Hall officials collected over 7.5 tonnes of rubbish including at the Jesselton Point ferry terminal and the wet market in the city.
“Rubbish traps will be installed in the critical areas such as Kampung Numbak and the Saga squatter water village and identify suitable cleaning boats to carry out cleaning works at sea,” it said.
The cleanup work is done by the sea and river cleaning unit under City Hall’s Solid Waste Management Department together with appointed concessionaires.
