On Saturday, Prime Minister Anastase Murekezi called for more efforts to conserve the environment ahead of the World Environment Day on June 3. He was speaking at the launch of the National Environment Week in Musanze District during the monthly community work-Umuganda. Over the years, Rwanda has taken several initiatives to protect and conserve the environment, including the ban on use of plastic bags and increasing the forest cover in the country. Rwanda’s political will to ensure the protection of environment has helped the country to register remarkable achievements in regard to environment protection, and these outstanding achievements are also confirmed by different global reports. However, despite these initiatives, some parts of the country continue to be hit by avoidable environmental disasters which claim lives and destroy property worth millions. This shows that we still have a lot to do in addressing environment challenges as individuals and communities. It is every one’s responsibility to ensure that we don’t engage in any activity that may lead to environmental degradation or reverse the current gains. As we mark, the Environment Week, it should be a moment for everyone to recommit to do everything in their powers to support conservation of the environment. Collectively we can support the current efforts to preserve the environment, by avoiding activities like cutting trees for charcoal and wood, illegal mining, encroaching on wetlands and poaching, among others. We should also make tree planting part of our culture. Stakeholders and leaders at all levels should regularly organize activities dedicated to raising awareness on environmental sustainability. Also, people living in high risk areas, which are prone to disasters, should be sensitized to relocate voluntarily for their own safety. Through collective efforts, we can consolidate the current gains in environment protection as we strive to achieve more.
