BRUNEI-MUARA
ABOUT 200 volunteers led by the Ministry of Development yesterday combed Tungku beach in Jerudong to get rid of the rubbish which littered the shoreline.
The beach clean-up led by Minister of Development Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Abdullah Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar was one of the ministry’s activities lined up for its week-long Customer Day which started Monday and will last until tomorrow.
With the aid of rubbish trucks and skips from the ministry, ministry officials, staff and members of the public searched under trees, through the man-made retaining rock walls and the sand for a good two hours in search of litter left behind by visitors to the beach.
Pg Datin Norliha PSI Pg Hj Ismail, the ministry’s acting senior public relations officer, said the volunteers even came across a pair of baby diapers among the rubbish collected during the clean-up.
“It’s a shame,” she remarked.
“The beach is very beautiful, but the surroundings are laden with rubbish. It threatens the beauty of the beach,” she said.
“We are hoping that with this campaign, the cleaning up of our beaches will not only be today, but will continue on. Hopefully, visitors to the beach will not throw away their rubbish,” she added.
Pg Datin Norliha told The Brunei Times that among the objectives of the beach clean-up was to raise public awareness on the importance of cleanliness.
Also present during the beach mass clean-up were the ministry’s Deputy Minister Dato Paduka Dr Hj Mat Suny Hj Mohd Hussein, Permanent Secretary (administration and finance) Hj Mohd Rozan Dato Paduka Hj Mohd Yunos, Acting Permanent Secretary (technical and professional) Hj Mohd Zin Hj Awg Salleh, as well as heads of departments and other officials and staff.
Pg Datin Norliha said the ministry had also invited sub-district and village chiefs responsible for the nearby Kg Tungku and Kg Rimba areas, as well as the residents there, to participate in the clean-up.
The ministry had also enlisted the assistance of the Beach Bunch, a volunteer group that has been “very active” in such activities, she added.
On April 26, the Beach Bunch last outing collected a staggering 872kg of waste in two hours at the Jerudong beach.
The non-profit organisation gathered 148 volunteers from Duli Pengiran Muda Al-Muhtadee Billah College, Brunei Shell Marketing Company Sdn Bhd, Brunei Shell Ladies, Brunei Adventure Recreation Association (Bara), Brunei LNG and residents of Kampung Jerudong in the beach clean-up.
The waste was segregated into different categories for records and possible recycling; including 730kg of general waste, 140kg of plastic bottles, and two kg of aluminium.
The Brunei Times
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