Greenline helps public protect environment |11 April 2011

The wellbeing of our environment is everyone’s concern and the department is glad that throughout the years members of the public have phoned to express their concerns on various issues such as turtle poaching, pollution of all kinds and illegal dumping.

Many environmental damages have been prevented as a result of public alerting the authorities through the Greenline on tel: 722111, such as loss of forest because of fires.

Many species, especially sea turtles, have also been saved due to quick response from the authorities after public have reported them through Greenline.

Staff or authorities cannot be everywhere at all times to monitor the environment offences, and Greenline has over the years played a vital role in curbing those incidents.

This has also helped to develop good citizenship, encouraging people from all walks of life to understand their roles and responsibilities towards protecting the environment.

Unfortunately, Greenline also received a considerable amount of calls that have nothing to do with the environment or even those that are accidental.

This at times clogs the Greenline, blocking others who could be calling with a genuine case at the same time.
Therefore the department is appealing to the public to use the service correctly.

For the general public’s convenience, the line is open seven days a week on a 24-hour basis.

Calls are treated as anonymous and confidential so no-one should be afraid to call us to denounce any criminal act against our natural heritage.

Issues raised are forwarded to appropriate authorities and dealt with accordingly.

The table below illustrates some of the different types of issues that have been brought to our attention via Greenline throughout the year 2010.

Public are also advised to use Greenline for environment emergencies whereas less important or informative phone calls can be done directly to the respective divisions during working hours on 670500.

Other emergency telephone numbers the public can contact, especially during working hours, are:

• 722781/722599 (Landscape and Waste Management Agency for removal of dead animals on public roads and to clean and unclog drainages);

• 723056 (Seychelles Land transport Authority for removal of small trees, branches and debris on all roads);

• 723222/723325 (Environment Engineering and Water Ways Services for all wetlands, rivers, marshes and coastal issues);

• 723417/722320 (the Seychelles National Parks Authority for forest fires); 

• 722101/322979 (the Division of Risk and Disaster Management).

Public can also contact their district police stations for non-emergency illegal issues such as burning of domestic waste especially during the dry season.

The environment department would like to take the opportunity to thank the general public for their good cooperation and welcome all the help it can get from them in ensuring that our environment is kept safe for the wellbeing of the citizens of Seychelles as well as to ensure continuous preservation of our precious flora and fauna.

Contributed by the Environment Department