The Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, in collaboration with Juba City Council and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), launched a campaign on Tuesday aimed at combating plastic pollution in aquatic environments and protecting the environment.
Speaking at the launch held at Juba River Port, Simon Oswan, Monitoring and Evaluation Expert at the IGAD Secretariat, described the campaign as a three-year, five million U.S. dollar project under IGAD’s blue economy initiative. The project focuses on preserving aquatic ecosystems and reducing the impact of plastic pollution.
Oswan emphasized that plastics pose significant challenges to both inland and marine waters. The campaign aims to minimize plastic pollution and promote sustainable use of plastics rather than allowing them to harm the environment.
“We use plastics daily for packaging goods from supermarkets and markets, and even for bottled water. The key question is how we manage these plastics and transform them into a valuable resource rather than letting them degrade our environment, including our aquatic ecosystems,” Oswan explained in Juba, South Sudan’s capital.
He mentioned that the regional bloc has been collaborating with the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries in South Sudan, and now they are extending their partnership to include the Juba City Council to ensure a clean environment free from plastic pollution.
Flora Gabriel Modi, Juba City Mayor, emphasized their commitment to raising awareness among Juba’s communities about the dangers of plastic pollution.
“We will conduct public awareness campaigns through various media platforms, including radio, and community initiatives. Each council quarter will actively engage in educating local residents. We take this issue seriously, especially considering the significant waste accumulation in Juba. This initiative is crucial and will commence soon,” she stated.
Flora also mentioned plans to enforce strict laws against plastic pollution to maintain a clean environment free from plastic waste.
Meanwhile, Minister of Livestock and Fisheries Onyoti Adigo Nyikwac highlighted that the campaign launch aligns with the government’s blue economy strategy adopted on March 8, 2023. He assured continuous efforts in combating plastic pollution as an ongoing initiative.
“The ongoing campaign against plastic pollution will be relentless, expanding its scope to include surrounding environments and households, aligning with international efforts from ‘source to sea’ against plastic pollution,” he affirmed.
“Due to the extensive production and consumption of a wide range of plastic products, which generate substantial amounts of plastic waste, unfortunately, all these plastics and other wastes end up in rivers, eventually reaching seas and oceans. Plastics are now everywhere across every industry and sector of development,” he added.