10/06/2017
THE IMPORTANCE OF LIVING IN A CLEAN AND HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT.
When we hear the word environment, the first thing that comes to our mind is our surrounding, because it is part and parcel of us .In every society, a clean and healthy environment is held with high esteem because it has a lot of role to play in the healthy living of man. Therefore the environment is our home and we need to worry about it. The clean and healthy environment help us from been affected by disease that may be cause by our surrounding environment .Health and wellness are influenced in places where people live, learn, work, and play. In community, it include ,homes ,school ,public places and work site ,and can be transform to support well –being and make healthy choices easy and affordable healthy and safe environment. When we talk of the clean environment it includes, cleans water , and air, affordable and secured housing, sustainable and economically vital environment like schools and supportive structures for example violence free environment to be active, access to affordable healthy food. Everyone has the right to the environment and also the responsibility of keeping the environment clean and healthy. Nothing is more basic in life than having sustainable access to clean air, food, and water and other resources that ecosystem provide. Thus a clean and healthy environment which life itself depends on, is to be recognized as a fundamental human right. Thus cleanliness, which is one of SDG goals plays an important role of sustaining healthy living of individuals .Everyone in the society has an important role to play in their environment. We all have to also protect ourselves in keeping the environment and community clean.
When we talk of a clean and healthy environment, we are simply referring to those aspects which we know every individual is capable of participating in. They include; disposing of dirty in a more hygienic manner for example, in the dustbin, not on the road and in water, avoid situation of mismanagement of water source like drinking water, rivers and even dam where we find flow of human waste in them, we should protect our community from broken sewage and pipes system, that is to say we should be able to use good pipes that we know are long lasting and won’t distort the environment. According to cleaning science conference 2007, cleaning is the key to removing unwanted by- product and reducing serious health risk.
In Cameroon, according to Assessment of the Hygiene and Sanitation Campaign in Cameroon in May31, 2017, our new Constitution says that everyone has the right to a safe and healthy environment. The quality of our environment affects all of us no matter where we live. The environment is our home. If it is not healthy, we will not be healthy either. When people abuse the environment, this affects us all. If water is polluted, if the air is full of smoke and chemicals, if food contains poisons, people (and plants and animals) get sick. The council has been given the legal responsibility to ensure that refuge is removed regularly, so that it does not become a health risk, for example everyone is aware of Hysacam, which role is to keep the environment clean. This is because the Government is aware of the fact majority of health problems stems from our environment. In our society the health department and municipalities have been provided to take responsibility for hygiene, waste management. A clean environment ensures the continental existence and survival of all life on earth .Cleaning the environment reduces pollution protect unique ecosystems prevent the extinction of endangered species and conserve resources such as water, land and air. A clean environment ensures the protection of biodiversity and ecosystems upon which human life and others on earth depends on .Thus we have to protect our environment from these toxic that cause health condition and disease. To maintain clean environment in our society, people need to reduce the use of toxic materials conserve water and energy, dispose cabbage properly and recycle waste product etc.
Therefore, even though in Cameroon, The Government has provided means of keeping the environment clean, safe and healthy for example like the Hysacam we still find cabbages on the road, broken sewage pipes and so on especially in Douala and Yaoundé .More awareness is to created on the need of living in a clean environment, Above all people have to take upon themselves to practice this culture of living in a clean environment and promoting cleanliness in their home, work place, schools ,playground and even in our society as a whole.
Funton Sinderline for PPG
