Brunei's Local News - Brudirect.com

Bangar - The Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation (Jastre) in Temburong has received good response from the Temburong population for its efforts to maintain a clean environment in the district.

The residents of Kg Ujung Jalan have praised the Temburong Jastre branch for its swift action to clear the trail of rubbish on the roadside, which was the result of a long queue of cars at the immigration posts leading to the Kg Ujung Jalan ferry during the school holidays.

Abd Ghani Hj Arshad, a supervisor at Jastre, told The Brunei Times that the department had sent a cleaning crew to clean up the rubbish at Kg Ujung Jalan yesterday.

The issue was previously raised by The Brunei Times on January 5 in a report entitled "Temburong needs cleaning up".

"It is not their (passersby) main intention to throw rubbish," said Abd Ghani, adding that the long queue of cars waiting for the ferry for up to three to five hours was one of the main reasons for the litter. This queue was a result of Bruneians and foreigners taking advantage of the holidays to travel through the only land route that connects Brunei, Sabah and Sarawak.

The problem is of temporary nature which can escalate during long holidays and festive seasons, said Abd Ghani. Jastre will be assigning a cleaning crew if such incidents happen again but as of now, no plans have been finalised, he added.

According to the supervisor, this was the second time that such clean up efforts have to be taken.

The first time such campaign was conducted last year during the floods in which many locals, tourists and citizens from neighbouring countries were stranded during the Chinese New Year holiday as they were unable to cross the river by ferry due to strong currents.

Abd Ghani admitted that the present rubbish problem was worse compared to last year. He said on their part the department has placed larger garbage bins to tackle the increase in rubbish.

Based on Jastre's study, 95 per cent of the population utilises the garbage bins provided. The high percentage, he said, was attributed to the free-of-charge rubbish collection service in Temburong provided by the government.

Unfortunately, five per cent of the population was still ignorant and still throws its rubbish into nearby rivers and forests, said Abd Ghani.

"The cause for this is not known to us considering we have provided garbage bins for their use."

This year, the department plans to increase the quantity of garbage bins and rubbish collection points in the district. Abd Ghani hopes that the residents will cooperate with Jastre in improving the rubbish disposal system.

"This was one of the reasons for the establishment of Jastre in Temburong, to control and reduce the amount of pollution that poses risk to the public health," said Abd Ghani.

The department also plans to hold more talks on the importance of keeping the surrounding areas clean, he said, further urging the district's residents to contact the department on similar complaints of littering.

Another initiative of the department is the promotion of reusable bags. Abd Ghani said that the department has got good response for the effort. -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times