VOV.VN - Local authorities in the island district of Phu Quoc in the southern province of Kien Giang have chosen the first Saturday of each month as the ‘Day for Phu Quoc Environment’.

Phu Quoc island district plans to organise community activities to clean up  the local environment on the first Saturday of each month. (Photo: Nong Nghiep newspaper)

Mai Van Huynh, Chairman of the Phu Quoc district People’s Committee, said as of July 6, the district will implement the campaign known as the ‘Day for Phu Quoc Environment’.

As a result, the district will regularly organise community activities aimed at cleaning up the local environment by collecting waste on the first Saturday of each month.

The move aims to raise public awareness about environmental protection and improve the efficiency of rubbish collection and waste issues of the island of Phu Quoc.

The island district has encouraged organisations and individuals to come up with effective solutions which will minimise waste and limit how much plastic waste is thrown away.

Phu Quoc represents a paradise for tourists with an array of beautiful beaches, majestic mountains, and primeval forests whilst strong investment has been poured into developing infrastructure throughout the island district.

Despite these positives, the development of tourism infrastructure on the island has created pressure in terms of the environment, especially as a large quantity of waste and wastewater has been discharged into the local habitat, causing vast amounts of pollution to damage the area.

2018 saw Phu Quoc welcome more than 1.5 million visitors  including more than 637,500 foreign visitors, an increase of over 30 per cent over the previous year.

The first half of the year has seen Phu Quoc receive more than 2.2 million visitors, including 392,019 foreign arrivals, an increase of 35.9 per cent against the same period from last year. The district earned a tourism revenue of over VND3.8 trillion, an annual rise of 40.8 per cent.