Minister Takes the Lead in Clean Up Mafalala Operation

The streets, alleys and drainage ditches of Mafalala have a new face after benefitting from all the activity of Clean Up the World Day, celebrated worldwide.In Mozambique, the event was held under the motto "Lixo no Chão, Não!’ (No to Garbage on the floor). The day’s work was attended by Celso Correia, Minister of Land, Environment and Rural Development.Despite the low temperatures felt in Maputo at the early hours of Saturday, the movement of people was intense, both due to the publicity made over the days leading up to the action and to the announcements made on site with the help of loudspeakers.Indeed, the residents took it to cleaning the neighbourhood and disposing solid waste in appropriate locations, wearing t-shirts saying: "No to garbage in drainage ditches" and wielding shovels, rakes and wheelbarrows, Hundreds of people, from Mafalala neighbourhood and elsewhere, joined people from the Ministry of Land, Environment and Rural Development, Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM), National Service for Public Safety (SENSAP) and Red Cross, using Eco Life trucks to jointly clean up the drainage ditches of the streets of Goa, Eduardo Viegas, 3.026 and Eusébio da Silva Ferreira among other activities.

According to Celso Correia, Minister of Land, Environment and Rural Development, the choice of Mafalala neighbourhood, was due to the fact that it is a historic place and to the fact that it presents itself as a place with a remarkable tourist potential."We believe that, more than cleaning up the neighbourhood, we are bringing hope to the residents of this residential area, to show that you can live in a clean society. And the initiative also demonstrates that keeping our neighbourhood clean begins in each of us, ensuring that our house is clean ", he appealed.Later, the Ministry of Land, Environment and Rural Development mentioned that the government, in a gradual way, wants to replace plastic bags with other healthier alternatives to the environment. Still, "we are aware that it is a process that will take a long time. But we have introduced measures aimed at reducing a plastic bag type that is harmful to health and now we are unleashing initiatives to stimulate the private sector to bring in new solutions."In turn, Manuel Mussana, chief of Mafalala’s Block 50 and of the cleaning at the cell level, said on Sunday that the mobilization of residents was made a week earlier. As a result of this action, he hopes to "stop the garbage in the drainage, because it hinders the flow of rainwater, which results in the breeding of mosquitoes, a threat to public health.The event was attended by the Ambassador of Switzerland Irina Schoulgin Nyonique who at the time praised the initiative and expressed hope that more such actions are carried out in different locations.