Celebration of Oceans Day: Women in Maritime appeals against sea pollution

This year’s World Oceans Day has been marked in Tema, with an appeal to the government to put in place stringent measures to check the disposal of plastic waste in the sea.

According to the Ghana Chapter of Women in Maritime Africa (WIMA Ghana), the proper disposal of waste, including plastic, would halt the pollution of the sea and other water bodies, including the destruction of marine life.

The President of WIMA Ghana, Mrs Magdalene Ofori Addai, made the appeal after a clean-up exercise along the Sakumono Beach by members of the association to commemorate the day.

The exercise, which lasted three hours, saw members clean the beach along the Sakumono road to the Nungua highway to create awareness of the menace of plastic and how to properly dispose of it, so that it does not end up in the sea to hurt the marine environment.

WIMA Ghana is the national chapter of Women in Maritime Africa (WIMAfrica), a non-profit organisation on gender equality, women empowerment, as well as entrepreneurship development of African women in the maritime sector.

World Oceans Day

The World Oceans Day, a UN initiative, is commemorated on June 8, every year to raise awareness of the benefit humans get from the ocean and the need to use its resources sustainably.

This year’s commemoration was on the theme: “The ocean: Life and livelihoods”.

The ocean, which covers over 70 per cent of the earth, supports human sustenance and that of other organisms.

It produces at least 50 per cent of the planet’s oxygen and is also home to most of the earth’s biodiversity. It is also the main source of protein for more than a billion people around the world.

Environmental damage

Mrs Addai said the sea was being overwhelmed by the plastic menace, leading to incalculable environmental damage.

She said plastic pollution in the ocean mostly started in the communities, especially when not properly disposed of.

She, therefore, appealed to metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) to enact bye-laws on plastic waste disposal, saying that had become necessary to improve the general sanitation and environment situation along the ocean.

"We are all connected by the ocean. Seventy per cent of the earth is covered by the ocean and so we have to do all we can to ensure that the ocean is healthy for both current and future generations," she added.

“Borla” tax

A member of WIMA-Ghana, Mrs Rose-Vera Nsiah, welcomed the institution of the sanitation and pollution levy (SPL) by the government and suggested that part of the money to be accrued be used to cater for the beaches and other water bodies.

She said clean beaches provided economic benefits for both local communities and the national economy through visitations by tourists, among other ventures.

Writer's email benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh