Authority tells stakeholders to prevent pollution

National

THE National Maritime Safety Authority (NMSA) is urging all stakeholders in private and public sectors to work together to prevent marine pollution in the maritime provinces.
The concern was raised during a recent coastal clean-up exercise in Daru, Western, where selected students and teachers of Daru Secondary School helped NMSA’s marine environment protection department staff to clean-up the shores near the fish market.
The clean-up activity is part of the authority’s community engagement initiative and it’s the authority’s mandated roles and responsibilities to prevent marine pollution.
Department’s manager Pawa Limu said there was a greater need for stakeholders to work together to prevent marine pollution to seas/oceans and this in particular was evident in Daru.
“Protecting our marine environment is very important as all of these living within the maritime provinces are dependent on marine life to sustain our livelihood,” he said.
“There is a need for more collective efforts to be made by stakeholders to address this global issue which is not only affecting PNG but the world as a whole.”
NMSA general manager Paul Unas thanked the staff and students for their efforts.
He appealed to the shipping industry, port operators and the general public to be conscious of the environment, particularly the rich and diverse marine environment.
Unas said: “This activity should also be seen as educational as we want to educate our tomorrow’s leaders and to instil in their minds the importance of keeping our marine environment clean and safe.”