Image from the network is for reference only
Largest Turn-out in 3 years to Raise Awareness on Marine Environmental Protection
In conjunction with International Coastal Clean-Up Day (ICC Day), 150 volunteers of ages between 16 and 62, together with Senior Minister of State for Transport and Health, Dr Lam Pin Min, took part in the third annual Clean-Up on Kayak at East Coast Park this morning.
This year’s edition received the highest number of sign-ups since its inception. 120 volunteers on kayaks collected marine debris in Singapore waters, while another 30 sorted and recorded the marine litter for data research purposes. About 114 kg of marine debris was collected.
Clean-Up on Kayak is an initiative started by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) in 2016 to drive greater awareness on protecting Singapore’s marine environment. MPA has also been working with academic institutions such as SIM International Academy and Republic Polytechnic to empower student leaders to organise Clean-Up on Kayak events for their school communities.
Dr Lam, who joined the volunteers at sea, said, “Keeping our waters clean is a shared responsibility. It is heartening to see so many volunteers of different ages come forward to play their part to protect our marine environment. I hope they continue to share their passion for marine environment issues with their friends and encourage them to play their part, too.”
At the event, Dr Lam also presented prizes to nine winners of the “Waves of Change” poster design competition jointly organised by MPA and the Singapore Environmental Council. The competition, which received more than 400 entries, is aimed at educating young Singaporeans between 7 and 25 on the importance of protecting the marine environment. The winning entries were selected by a panel of judges comprising representatives from both private and public organisations such as Consulus, International Coastal Clean-up Singapore, MPA, National Institute of Education, NParks, Nature Society (Singapore), Our Singapore Reefs, Public Hygiene Council, Waterways Watch Society and Wild Singapore. Details of the winning entries can be found at Annex A.
Across the Asia-Pacific region, countries are joining the fight to reduce waste, amid mounting concerns about the dire consequences of pollution in our oceans. As a reminder of the adverse impact of marine pollution, this year’s event concluded with a documentary movie screening titled ‘A Plastic Ocean’ produced by non-profit organisation, Plastic Oceans International.
Part of MPA’s role is to ensure that our port waters are clean and safe. MPA deploys garbage collection and flotsam retrieval crafts to collect garbage from ships anchored in the port as well as flotsam and debris along the common channels, fairways and anchorages. Similar craft was deployed as part of the Clean-Up on Kayak activity this morning.
MPA also engages the wider community to promote marine conservation. For instance, MPA partners with non-governmental organisations such as Waterways Watch Society to organise educational talks in schools, and also collaborates with student volunteers from the National University of Singapore and Singapore Management University to run quarterly diving expeditions for collection of marine debris.
Sources:XINDE MARINE NEWS
Please Contact Us at：
admin@xindemarine.com
.gif)
