“Towards a Clean Environment,” in a Seminar in Taiz [Archives:2000/28/Health]

Imad Al-Saqqaf,
Taiz Office
The world today is witnessing radical human changes as well as activities in agriculture, industry and trade, resulting in positive and negative impacts on environment on a global scale. Ultimately, man is the reaper of his own actions and he is the one either to enjoy or suffer from them. The environmental disasters caused by green houses, and industrialization resulting in elnino and other environmental phenomenons have attracted a great deal of attention by many countries all over the world. This is directly reflected in different conferences held in many countries in which the protection of environment was the heart of the discussions. Two such important conferences were the ‘International Conference on Environment’ held in Stockholm in 1972 and the “Earth Summit” in Rio de Janeiro during the first half of July 1992. The goals of these two conferences were to find solutions to the environmental hazards that are jeopardizing people’s health.
In our country, Yemen, the issue of environment has actually been a forgettable matter that most often goes adhered to by the authorities concerned. This has led to adverse consequences and to the suffering of people.
However, some of the active NGOs in Yemen have started expressing their concerns about this issue. They started conducting some activities to attract the government’s as well as the people’s attention to this matter and its dangers. The Environment Friends Association is labeled as such.

Under the auspices of Ahmed Abdullah Al-Hijri, Governor of Taiz, and under the motto “Towards a Clean Environment and Civilized Activities Serving it”, a seminar was organized by the Environment Friends Association in cooperation with the Al-Saeed Foundation for Sciences and Culture on 4th of June.
“Environment is our surroundings in which we conduct our activities. It includes all the living things: humans, animals and plants.” say the organizers of the seminar, Since its establishment, the Environment’s Friends Association has been playing a pivotal role in the issue of environment. Through its activities, the NGO aims at increasing the people’s awareness to the importance of protecting environment and to the dangers that may result from polluting it.
The Industrial Office, the General Authority for Standards and Specifications and Al-Saeed Foundation for Sciences and Culture have all participated in the seminar. Mr. Hail Kasem Noman, Representative of Environment’s Friends Association, Mr. Sharaf Al-Zubairi, representative of the Industrial Ministry; Mr. Jamal Mohammed Abdulrahman, General Authority for specification and Industrial Office, Dr. Ma’took Al-Ruaini and Dr. Amin Al-Bahr have all presented valuable working papers.
In the seminar, participants as well as turn-outs discussed plastic bags and their negative impact on environment and ways to get rid of their waste.
The seminar was commenced by delivering speeches by Mr. Mohammed Abdulmalik Al-Hayajim, deputy governor of Taiz, and Mr. Faisal Saeed Fara’a.
Mrs. Anysah Mohammed Hassan, Chairman of the association, gave a statement giving some information about the activities of the society. She highlighted the importance of developing the people’s awareness through the activities of the association and through close contacts with institutions concerned about the environment. She pointed at a critical issue which is the spread of waste plastic bags in streets, lanes and on trees which renders a distorted picture of our society, besides damaging plants. She asserted that this seminar is embodied within a working agenda that extends from May to November 2000.
In their papers, participants talked about the effects of wastes from plastic products on the environment depending on scientific researches and field surveys. They suggested some alternatives to the use of plastic bags and presented some suggestions to deal with their hazards. According to the final results of the industrial field survey in 1996, 28 industrial establishments are currently producing plastic materials.
In Jamal Mohammed Abdulrahman’s paper entitled “Plastic and its Impact on Environment”, he mentioned that statistics reveal that local production of plastic bags for 1992-1996 are increasing rapidly.

Thus, despite the obvious decrease in plastic production in 1994 and 1995, production has risen to 5,416 ton in 1996.
In short, the issue of environment is very critical that it needs to be given our full attention and care.
Plastic bags have a very detrimental impact on our environment. Thus, the authorities should pay this issue the deserved attention so as to increase the awareness of people and through enforcing laws aiming at protecting environment.

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