The management of Calabar Port has warned people living along the coastal lines to avoid littering the waterways, saying litters were major causes of marine disasters all over the world.
The general manager, Mrs Marie Asien, gave the warning in Calabar, Thursday, at a sensitisation campaign on waste management and prevention of marine litters organized for NPA host communities.
Asien advised the host communities, which comprised of Ikot Ansa, Adiabo and Calabar South communities among others, to always keep the marine environment clean to avoid contamination which could affect marine life to both fishes and humans.
“There is no need to litter our waterways with filth. I therefore urge you to always keep your environment clean and refrain from dumping waste into the waters,” she said.
Asien, who was represented by Mrs Funmilayo Loremikan, head of SERVICOM unit, disclosed further that 80 per cent of marine litters come from land, and that the percentage represents a major issue across the world. He said marine litters could lead to contamination of fishes due to plastic ingestion.
According to her, “marine litters reduces the depth of waterway, damage to vessels, causes marine accidents and potential loss of life as well as increase cost of channel maintenance in ports and harbors, shipping cost and so on.”
She stressed the need for proper urban drainage system that prevents litters from entering the river or sea.
Also speaking, Permanent Secretary, Cross River Ministry of Transport and Marine Services, Dr Gabriel Akpeke, said there was the need for coastal communities to tidy their environment.
He said that the state government was making efforts to ensuring that every household and every vehicle in the state have waste bin for proper disposing of waste, adding “keeping our rivers safe is for our own good.”
In his remarks, the General Manager, Cross River Waste Management Agency, Mr Sunday Oko, said the agency was taking steps to ensure that there were no litters in any part of Calabar, including the waterways. He expressed gratitude to Calabar Port for the sensitisation and promised that his agency would partner the NPA to ensure a clean marine environment.
