Redevelopment to solve Sembulan's littering problem

Kota Kinabalu: Some Sabahans are in desperate need of an attitude change when it comes to littering, said Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun.He said this in response to the growing complaints from tourists on cleanliness along Sabah's shores.

Masidi said the complaints are nothing new and that the problem has been ongoing.

But measures taken by City Hall, like cleaning the beach every day, proves that even cleaning efforts are not enough to curb the issue.

Masidi said the problem stems from the attitude of some Sabahans who have little or no regard for the cleanliness of rivers.

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"Many people say the rubbish comes from the islands. According to our research, a huge part of the rubbish comes from rivers and irrigation from land that flow into the sea.

"When it reaches the sea, the waves will bring it back to the shore," Masidi told reporters after officiating at the Buka Puasa with Children from Rumah Putera Harapan, Ranau at Novotel Hotel, here, Thursday.

"There's a limit to where City Hall can clean it up every day. No matter how much City Hall tries to clean it up (the shores), as long as we do not change our attitude towards littering, this problem will persist," Masidi elaborated.

He said that a large portion of the shore's rubbish come from the mainland, as opposed to the general assumption that it comes from nearby islands.

"Water villages are also the cause of this problem. We can see for ourselves in Sembulan but luckily their rivers don't connect to the ocean.

"If we see the situation in Sembulan, we'd feel embarrassed.

The problem in Sembulan is that 70 per cent of the people residing in Sembulan are renters," said Masidi.

He added that City Hall's upcoming redevelopment project on the area will hopefully solve the cleanliness issue there.

"To me, we need to change our attitudes and love our ocean and rivers.

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Don't throw rubbish into the river or irrigation because it will return to us.

"If we can change our attitudes towards littering, God willing, we will solve this problem," said Masidi.

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