Minister for Environment, Parveen Bala and Permanent Secretary for Environment, Joshua Wycliffe are yet to comment on the investigation regarding the illegal dumping of rubbish by a waste management company a few weeks ago.
Fijivillage has raised the question on what has been done in this case and what is the Ministry doing to enforce the litter laws in the country.
We have also raised the question if enforcement officers will be sent out on the streets fining people on the spot for littering.
There is an on the spot fine of $40.
Many are saying that the problem can be fixed if there is stringent enforcement of the litter laws and people caught littering are taken to task.
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama had said earlier this month that “we seem to have lost our way and the sheer amount of litter in Fiji has reached crisis level proportions.”
Bainimarama also sent out a stern warning that any other individual or business that thinks of dumping rubbish anywhere in Fiji will be caught and they will be punished to the full extent of the law.
He had made this comments after an employee of a major waste management company was caught dumping rubbish in Nadroga last month.
Bainimarama says the Government has ordered an immediate investigation into that illegal dumping, and will take appropriate legal action to punish those responsible.
Government is calling for a society wide response to this crisis of littering affecting our islands and to speak up if you see someone litter.
The National Environment Council had said last year that they will reveal all the names of the people who have been caught throwing rubbish carelessly under the Name and Shame Campaign.
The Name and Shame Campaign was introduced in 2015 by the government to oversee works on the environment.
Fijivillage has made several requests to the Ministry of Environment.
However there have been no comments on the investigation, enforcement and the on the spot fines for people throwing rubbish carelessly.
