The Bono East Regional Environmental Protection Agency has Today, 5th June, 2023, has joined the rest of the planet in the celebration of the 2023 World Environment Day with the theme, “Protect Tano River from Plastic Pollution”.World leaders have set aside 5th June every year as a commemorative day for environmental public outreach to draw attention of the public to the welfare of the earth.
The Bono East Regional E.P.A joined the rest of the world in celebrating this day at the Bamiri Social Center.
The program was chaired by the Oforikromhene who also double as the Bankumhene of the Techiman Traditional Area, and was graced with the presence of some Chiefs and Queens of the Techiman Traditional Council, the Bono East Regional Minister, Hon. Akwasi Adu Gyan, Departmental Heads of the Techiman Municipal Assembly, including many others dignitaries.
Addressing the gathering, the Bono East Regional Minister, Hon. Akwasi Adu Gyan, applauded the Environmental Protection Agency and for that matter the United Nations for setting aside a day to educate all and sundry on importance of environmental hygiene.
He said, “we know used plastics all the time, even in our houses, after preparing banku, will put it in plastic products, if we will drink water, we use plastic to drink it, of you go to our offices, we uses plastic materials for our foods, doing all these increases the plastic wastes in the environment”.
According to him, the increasing of plastic wastes in our environment increases the risks of natural disasters using the recent flood in Techiman as a case study.
He urged the E.P.A should as part of their publicity campaign against plastic pollution must call for the reuse of plantain and banana leaves in the packaging of foods as he believes that can help reduce plastic wastes in Techiman and the country at large.
The acting Bono East Regional Director for the Environmental Protection Agency, Mr. Duah Anthony Bright Kwadwo, says “Tano River is our property, if there is no Tano River, there is no Bono, the bases of Bono is Tano, the good news about Tano is that the bases is from Bono East and if we pollute the river with plastic, then the down stream users of the river will also be affected”. He said.
He continued, “I’m glad that on this special occasion, the regional Minister, representative from the Municipal Assembly, Chiefs, Queen Mothers, the media and all relevant stakeholders are here because the fight against plastic pollution can not be fought by the E.P.A but rather, it’s a collective effort “.
