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ADDIS ABABA
(Xinhua) -- The Intergovernmental Authority on
Development (IGAD) has congratulated Kenya and its Ministry of
Environment and Natural Resources for taking a bold step in
banning the production and use of shopping plastic bags in
Kenya.
Plastic bags have become one of the
most damaging elements to the environment in the region, noted
the East African bloc in its statement on Wednesday.
“The impact of plastic bags on our
urban environment is conspicuous in our cities and towns in
the region, where it can be seen that the sewerage systems
are clogged and trees are festooned with plastics. In a
similar manner, our inland and marines ecosystems are
polluted with plastic bags,” it said.
It further stated that the terrestrial
and marine plastic bag pollution has a negative impact on the
health of terrestrial and marine animal resources, which in turn
has negative impact on human health and economic development of
the region.
Banning of plastic bags would
therefore go a long way towards improving the human, animal and
environmental health as well as the economic development in the
region.
IGAD believes the bold step taken by
Kenya is going to contribute greatly to the protection of the
environment and would promote integration in the environment
sector in the region.
IGAD is proud to be associated with
the achievements in protecting the environment in the region and
commits itself to promote the Kenya’s experience and other best
practices in the region. |
