Every time
someone buys groceries he or she uses a plastic bag in Somaliland.
Everywhere can be found plastics bags in landfills, water stream,
stuck on trees and floating in theocean.
What is the
impact of all these plastic bags on the environment?
Experts say
they harm the environment. They release toxic materials into
the water and soil. They can kill animals.
Somaliland
government banned plastic bags imports in 2006 but didn’t
effectively enforce the ban. Plastic bags were used as usual.
After one
year the government issued another warning ato the
traders and merchants to stop importing plastic bags.
The minister
of the finance in Somaliland, Hussien Ali Duale, ordered
law enforcement agencies, notably the police,
and
customs burn any plastic bags entering the country.
There was mixed reaction from the community.
Mussa, a
Hargeisa resident said “The plastic bags harm the environment and
this is a step that the government should have taken”.
Kat sellers
mostly use plastic bags to wrap khat, but after the ban plastic bags
supplies decreased and became more expensive.
“I suggest
people should use towels to wrap the Khat when they go out to
buy khat.” said a Kat chewer holding in hand khat wrapped in
newspaper.
Meanwhile the
vice president of Somaliland, Mr Yasin announced last week to the
people to come out for a nationwide sanitation campaign beginning
May 1.
The local
communities in Somaliland observed the international sanitation day
by cleaning the streets. The vice president , (pictured,
center) took part in the sanitation campaign.
A city
council member, who attended the sanitation day said “very where
there are heaps of rubbish and 60% of it were plastic bags”.
The capital
city population is about one million, according to last census, and
some of the population are are displaced people back to home from
Ethiopian refugee camps. The cleaning action focus on such areas.
“We feel
better than before “said one of the residents after the cleanup.
While the
problem of plastic bags was on way to be resolved people are
asking what they can use to replace them..
