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Shelton Climate Awareness Initiative (SCAI), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), in collaboration with the Global Plastic Action Partnership, has embarked on a clean-up exercise at the Liberty Water Dam in Jos, Plateau State.
The founder of the NGO, Mrs. Lara Eseyin, said on Saturday, September 20, 2025, in Jos that the aim of the exercise was to tackle the growing problem of plastic pollution and conserve biodiversity.
Eseyin stated that the exercise was also to ensure that the water, which served as a raw material for the Jos Water Services Corporation (JWSC), was safe from plastic pollutants.
The founder further said that besides cleaning the environment, the organisation had also embarked on creating awareness and behavioural change campaigns about plastic menace in the environment.
She said that the general public was being educated on what could be done to reduce and recycle the plastics if necessary.
According to her, 100 recycling bins had been distributed in various communities in the Jos-Bukuru metropolis.
Similarly, Mr. Frank Eseyin, the NGO’s Director of Operations, said the exercise would be sustained and carried out every quarter of the year.
In his remarks, Mr. Apollos Samchi, JWSC Managing Director (MD), commended the NGO for its initiative in cleaning the environment, particularly the Liberty Dam environment.
Samchi said that the Liberty Dam, which served as one of the corporation’s sources of raw water supply, was one of the most endangered dams due to human activities such as mining, farming and encroachment by block-making industries.
According to him, the state government had spent ₦1.2 billion in 2025 on the purchase of water treatment chemicals to ensure residents had access to potable water.
He noted that the rising cost of treatment was largely due to human activities such as farming, illegal mining, and the indiscriminate dumping of plastic waste around the dam.
The MD, therefore, urged residents to take environmental protection seriously, stressing that preserving water sources was critical for sustainable development.
The plastic cleanup exercise was also carried out at Jos Wildlife Park, Maiadiko Market, and the Abbattoir Market.
Community members were encouraged to adopt eco-friendly practices such as recycling, reusing, and reducing single-use plastics.
By Blessing Odega
