Environmental Protection Is Everyone’s Job Says Sarawakian Medic

Bandar Seri Begawan – Pollution and environmental degradation, prevention and control activities are the responsibility of all governments and citizens.

This was highlighted by the Doctor Jamilah binti Hashim, Sarawak State Health Department, in her talk entitled " Environmental Pollution and Its Effect" at the National Convention on Health Promotion 2004 on Wednesday afternoon.

“Pollutants entered the environment both by natural means and through human activities,” she said.

She said that sufficient levels of awareness, commitment, partnership and participation of the community, government and private sector help to prevent and control pollution as a whole.

Most natural pollution have dispersed over a large area and are often diluted or broken down to harmless levels by natural processes and the its pace picking up sharply during the past 50 years.

Dr Jamilah said that the environmental problems resulting from human activities have begun to threaten the sustainability of earth's life support systems.

Among the most critical challenges facing humanity are the conservation, restoration and wise management of the earth's resources.

According to Dr Jamilah, public education and health promotion through various means could create and raise the environmental awareness.

“Therefore”, she said, “a health public policy control is needed to enforce laws in a fair, equitable and consistent manner; focus on prevention rather than cure and take firm action against the irresponsible acts of those creating pollution.”

Meanwhile, Pengiran Shamry bin Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Mustapha, the second speaker from the Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation, Ministry of Development, said on average, an individual dumps 1.2 to 4 kilos of garbage per day.

Another 15 per cent came from business activities, schools and offices.

The department also estimated the waste to be twice bigger than the weight from industrial and construction activities.

Methane and carbon dioxide, the main gases emitted from the waste disposal field, could change the climate pattern to global warming.

It is estimated that five to 20 per cent methane gas produced by human activity are from the decaying garbage. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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