Keetmanshoop
Keeping Keetmanshoop clean and hygienic for its inhabitants and visitors alike is what the town’s municipality is striving for.
Keetmanshoop will soon embark on a clean-up campaign aimed primarily at keeping the town clean, with the hope of attracting more visitors and investors to the capital of the scenic //Karas Region.
The municipality’s public relations officer, Dawn Kruger, in a brief interview with New Era explained that the aim of the clean-up campaign is to bring together residents to voluntarily clean areas that have been identified as heavily affected by illegal dumping.
She said the campaign is one of the strategies to keep the town clean, while it will also serve as a means to educate residents about the effects of illegal dumping, which is a major problem at the town.
“We want to ensure a cleaner Keetmanshoop, which we believe will attract investors to the town,” she said, adding that although only three areas will be the focus this weekend, the campaign will continue, as other places will be identified and cleaned during the next round, based on the need.
Kruger said the campaign focuses not solely on cleaning, but educating people about the harmful effects of illegal dumping on the environment, on humans and animals will also form part of the planned clean up campaign.
With the educational talks, the municipality aims to change the mindset of residents to encourage them to refrain from dumping refuse in prohibited areas, such as cemeteries, and to encourage people to rather use plastic bags, dustbins and skip containers to dispose of waste.
The volunteers will first clean up Van Rhyn Dam, Ileni Resettlement area along the B2 national road and the area leading to the Namibian Defence Force (NDF) army base.
Kruger said several institutions, such as the NDF, the Ministry of Tourism and Environment and several schools at the town have expressed willingness to assist, while Karas Beverages will provide free cold drinks for the volunteers.