By Mohammed Osman
DOHA: The Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning yesterday distributed 34,000 garbage bags to motorists as part of a campaign to raise awareness about cleanliness and hygiene.
Bags were also distributed to some outlets. The ministry’s Public Relations launched the drive titled ‘Help me … Don’t Throw it’ in collaboration with the Public Cleaning Project.
The campaign began with the distribution of plastic bags to motorists on roads and shops in Al Markheya and the Corniche to encourage people to keep garbage in plastic bags while driving.
On its official Twitter and Facebook accounts, the ministry posted a picture of people distributing yellow bags with a graphic of a bin and a slogan ‘Cleanness of our country is our responsibility.’
The ministry said the aim of the campaign is to promote the spirit of accountability and social responsibility in the population to keep all roads clean and refrain from throwing waste on roads while driving. It also aims to make people aware about efforts being carried everyday by cleaners to keep the environment clean and maintain hygiene.
People need to dispose waste by putting it in allocated containers to protect the environment and encourage others to acquire the habit and dispose waste in a safe way. “It is a simple way to maintain hygiene but due to lack of interest we are not practising that,” said a motorist. “Every motorist must have a bag in his car and it not a difficult thing to do,” said another motorist, according to the ministry’s website.
The Um Salal Municipality has removed 131 tonnes of waste, 63 abandoned vehicles, 430 carcasses and 46.7 tonnes of slaughterhouse waste. As part of the campaign, the Public Relations at the ministry has resumed a mobile exhibition campaign in Al Rayyan Municipality. It uses theatre shows for 20 minutes to raise awareness about the importance of cleanliness and hygiene and protection of the environment. More than 450 students from Al Khawarizmi and community elementary schools participated in the campaign.
The Peninsula
