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Preventing Ocean Pollution from Padang
Padang used to be one of the cleanest cities in the world. It even won awards for being the cleanest city in Indonesia 17 times. But today, it is home to three of the world’s most polluted rivers.
Fortunately, it’s also home to eco-warriors who hope to change this. And the PANGEA Movement is taking steps to help.
After sponsoring two rivers in partnership with Sungai Watch, we decided we wanted to expand our river barrier mission. The world’s 1,000 most polluted rivers are responsible for 80% of ocean plastic, so by targeting those rivers, we can have an immediate, measurable impact on the amount of trash that reaches the ocean.
We chose Padang as our first target for river barrier placement because the production of waste can reach up to 650 tonnes per day. By managing that waste and preventing it from traveling downriver to the ocean, we hope to spark a community movement.
In the words of Ira, an active member of the Your River Community Organization, “We are not alone. This is a beginning, not the end. After the river barriers capture trash, we need to rethink, become more innovative, more creative, and find out how to reuse and repurpose this trash for the benefit of the community.”
The hope is to inspire the involvement of the community. The roots of the movement are already there. With a little bit of support, we know it will grow into positive change.