Imagine thinking about going on a nice, relaxing trip and when you get there, your hopes are shattered as the place is literally covered in trash.
This is the reality for a couple, Aida Kamsuri and her Italian husband when they went to Kampung Pulau Gaya, Sabah. When the couple saw the piles of rubbish on the white sandy beaches, Aida’s husband was very alarmed and urged her to share what they saw on Twitter to spread awareness.
#SampahSabah Absolutely appalling and horrific to see you this way. This is the scene at Kg. Pulau Gaya. Days away from state election, but there are so many buts. Heartbreaking. pic.twitter.com/dm2zuwbzXJ
— Al-Aida (@AidaActually) August 25, 2020
Speaking to WORLD OF BUZZ, Aida said that she was appalled and heartbroken as she never saw anything like that before. The first thing that came to her mind was the question:
“How does someone live like that?”
They saw how the plastic washed ashore onto those beaches and they have just been collecting and piling over the years. Aida’s husband who is a seasoned diver and lover of the sea told her this:
“This is your country my darling, shouldn’t you do something about it?”
Aida then posted her tweet to spread the awareness and many netizens came forward to tell her that the situation has always been this way even tens of years ago. The worst thing is that this is the same reality in other water villages as well.
The villages do not have a proper waste management system and the villagers do not know any better. The waste does not only come from the villagers themselves but a big amount also floats from the mainland to the islands. Aida says,
“Needless to say, education begins at home, but the way the villagers live has been inherited for decades.”
Elaborating on that point, Aida says, “The villagers are just living the way they know how to live. This way of life has been passed on for generations. I’m not sure they know any other way of life. Our boatman said that that’s just the way it is.”
More #SampahSabah ? pic.twitter.com/QQCoVMoB60
— Al-Aida (@AidaActually) August 25, 2020
To spread awareness, Aida shared her tweets with hopes that it will probe the relevant authorities to do something about this growing issue. Speaking on how we can stop this problem from growing even bigger, she says,
“I think it goes back to education and awareness. We should educate our kids about the effects of littering to our ecosystem.”
“But as much as we can educate ourselves, I also see zero enforcement by the authorities.”
She adds that we shouldn’t just pinpoint Sabah for this issue but littering has always been a problem that has been plaguing the whole of Malaysia.
This is certainly an eyesore and we can definitely do better than this, Malaysians.
Also read: “I Feel Bad For Those Living At The Bottom,” M’sians Throw Rubbish From Top Floors Of Complex
