Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Ministry marks Environment Day with park clean-up effort

Ministry marks Environment Day with park clean-up effort

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
View of Anglong Sne resort at Dak Dam commune in Mondulkiri province’s O’Raing district in 2017. Mondulkiri was among other provinces that had previously been selected to spread the importance of the environment and protecting the planet to the public. Hong Menea

Ministry marks Environment Day with park clean-up effort

The Ministry of Environment, in collaboration with the Battambang Provincial Administration, is to celebrate National and World Environment Day on May 5 to raise public awareness of environmental issues and preserve the environment for sustainable use of natural resources.

This year’s event is held with the theme “Care for the Planet for Our Health” to raise the environmental awareness of the public and students, with a focus on environmental protection, biodiversity conservation and sustainable living.

The main focus of the event is on the movement of all strata of forces to join environmental sanitation on May 5 at 7-9am at Neak Banh Teuk Park in Battambang town.

Ministry spokesman Neth Pheaktra told The Post that the event is held on May 5 instead of the official date of June 5 because the latter has been set for the commune council elections. He said the ministry elected to hold the event ahead of time so there was no conflict with political party members and supporters conducting their election campaigns.

He noted that Battambang was chosen to host the event this time around. Other provinces, including Ratanakkiri and Kampot, had previously been selected to spread the importance of the environment and protecting the planet to the public.

“We expect that the celebrations in Battambang will reach attract about 300 people from the provincial administration and departments. Students will also conduct activities which demonstrate their consideration for the environment and how important biodiversity is as part of it,” he said.

He added that the challenges the ministry faced in environmental protection were climate change, solid waste management, and natural resource protection and conservation. The ministry had done a lot of work, and the government had laid out policies on urban solid waste management and local economic development through providing new jobs and ideas for people through ecotourism.

“The celebration of this day, with the theme “Care for the Planet for Our Health,” is to show the public that human health is strongly connected to the environment and remind them that the health of the planet is an important part of human health. If the planet is polluted, it affects humans,” he said.

Yin Mengly, Battambang provincial coordinator for rights group ADHOC, said the event is both a message to commemorate the anniversary of Environment Day, and also a warning to people – as well as government officials – to care for the environment. However, what really matters is the practical and regular implementation of sustainable policies.

“We should not just talk about environmental issues on this day; we need to discuss them regularly. We should not meet and promote this day once a year and consider we have done enough for environmental issues. It is important to implement practical environmental protection measures on a regular basis,” he said.

Mengly added that garbage in some places is collected daily, but in others trash is only picked up once a week – or even every 10 days. This is a problem. For example, waste collection at popular tourist places and densely populated areas is good nearly every day, but collection is sluggish in some outlying districts. In many parts of the country, landfill sites have not yet been prepared, he added.

MOST VIEWED

  • Wing Bank opens new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004

    Wing Bank celebrates first anniversary as commercial bank with launch of brand-new branch. One year since officially launching with a commercial banking licence, Wing Bank on March 14 launched a new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004. The launch was presided over by

  • Girl from Stung Meanchey dump now college grad living in Australia

    After finishing her foundational studies at Trinity College and earning a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Melbourne in 2022, Ron Sophy, a girl who once lived at the Stung Meanchey garbage dump and scavenged for things to sell, is now working at a private

  • Ministry using ChatGPT AI to ‘ease workload’; Khmer version planned

    The Digital Government Committee is planning to make a Khmer language version of popular artificial intelligence (AI) technology ChatGPT available to the public in the near future, following extensive testing. On March 9, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications revealed that it has been using the

  • Wat Phnom hornbills attract tourists, locals

    Thanks to the arrival of a friendly flock of great hornbills, Hour Rithy, a former aviculturist – or raiser of birds – in Kratie province turned Phnom Penh tuk tuk driver, has seen a partial return to his former profession. He has become something of a guide

  • Ministry orders all schools, public and private, to close for SEA Games

    From April 20 to May 18, all public and private educational institutions will be closed to maintain order and support Cambodia's hosting of the 32nd SEA Games and 12th ASEAN Para Games, said a directive from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. Cambodia will host the

  • Almost 9K tourists see equinox sunrise at Angkor Wat

    Nearly 9,000 visitors – including 2,226 international tourists – gathered at Angkor Wat on March 21 to view the spring equinox sunrise, according to a senior official of the Siem Reap provinical tourism department. Ngov Seng Kak, director of the department, said a total of 8,726 people visited Angkor Wat to