LookAtVietnam – Hundreds of residents and volunteers last Saturday swept streets clean, collected garbage, dredged canals and planted trees in the Xom Cai Living Quarters, a populous neighbourhood in District 5, to celebrate World Environment Day.

Residents in HCM City clean up streets in District 5 in response to World Environment Day.

Ha called on city residents to change attitudes and practices that are harmful to the environment, like littering and discharging wastewater into canals.

Phan Nguyen Hai Au, head of a District 5 environment task force, said his team cleaned up dirty locations within the district twice a month.

Au said he would campaign for local households to plant trees, turn off electrical appliances when they are not in use and turn to other environment-friendly vehicles rather than motorbikes.

“We’ve held regular meetings for residents to discuss and work out ways to commit themselves to improving sanitation in the neighbourhood,” said Nguyen Ngoc Tu, an official in the local culture and information department.

“We hope to create significant changes at the grassroots level,” he added.

The same morning, an exhibition of over 80 photos taken and 40 pictures drawn by children in the city opened in the parking space in front of the Opera House, with captions in Vietnamese and English.

Themed ‘Let’s Act for our Beloved City!’ the exhibits highlighted different perspectives on environmental issues and protection activities.

Established by the United Nations General Assembly 37 years ago, World Environment Day (WED), which is observed annually on June 5, aims to stimulate worldwide awareness of environmental issues and enhance political attention and actions.

The theme for WED this year is ‘Your Planet Needs You – Unite to Combat Climate Changes’.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News