The newly-appointed Environment and Water Resources Minister also says that cleanliness must remain a part of the first-world lifestyle that Singapore is growing into.
Kimberly Spykerman, News 5 Channel NewsAsia 10 Oct 15;
SINGAPORE: Cleanliness must become something Singaporeans do for themselves and by themselves, rather than depend on others to clean up after them, said newly-appointed Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli at a mass clean-up event on Saturday (Oct 10).
The event was held along the Singapore River and involved more than 1,700 people, including staff from the ministry. Mr Masagos added that as Singapore grows to become an urban city with a first world lifestyle, cleanliness must remain a part of that lifestyle.
The amount of litter retrieved during the mass clean-up totalled about 350 kg and was found in the walkways around the Singapore River and parts of the Central Business District including Raffles Place and Chinatown. Mr Masagos also joined in the clean-up, which took place a day after cleaners were told not to pick up the trash.
"It concerns me there are a lot of cigarette butts and small wrappers, which means we do not take this little bit of effort to throw something very light, to somewhere very near," said Mr Masagos. "It's unfortunate that even when I see trash cans near these places, people would rather throw them exactly where they are."
He added: "Worst of all, these are not biodegradable, so it remains on the ground almost forever."
Cleaning up the Singapore River also provided a fitting reminder of the transformation of this river from an open sewer to the waterway it is today. In 1977, then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew called for a massive clean-up of the Singapore River. It took 10 years and cost the government S$170 million.
Said Mr Eugene Heng, chairman of the non-government organisation Waterways Watch Society: "We find a lot of domestic items - things like hairspray, toothbrush. But the most common items we find are plastic bags and plastic bottles. Today we even found planks and wooden poles."
He urged people not to throw trash into the drains as these are connected to Singapore's rivers, canals, and reservoirs.
- CNA/hs
