MINISTER of State in the Vice President’s Office (Union and Environment) Dr Selemani Jafo yesterday directed all the councils in Tanzania Mainland to plant trees on roadsides to not only beautify cities and towns but also protect the environment.

Dr Jafo gave the directive at Jeshini Primary School grounds in Ilemela Municipality, Mwanza Region while launching the ‘Twiga wa Kijani’ (Green Giraffe) project which involves planting trees in 60 schools in six regions.

He commended Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) for facilitating a non-governmental organization called WBM to organize the project and the tree planting exercise he led, saying that it will help build the pupils' spirit to fully participate in environmental care.

He said that Tanzania has been visited by visitors from various countries in the world, especially after the production of the film 'Royal Tour' and the Government bought more planes, so it is important that we create attractive scenes on the side of the road by planting trees. 

Minister Jafo asked the cities of Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Tanga, Mbeya, Arusha and Dodoma to be exemplary in implementing the instructions to plant trees along the road.

Likewise, he instructed the directors of the municipal councils to manage the cleaning exercise in their areas by having cleaning contractors with the best equipment.

"It is not pleasant at all when you arrive in a certain city or municipality, dirt is scattered in the ditches when it rains, the ditches get clogged and sometimes the trucks are parked and the contractors have not taken out the waste, direct me again and implement those instructions, we believe our councils will be clean," he stressed. 

He has also used the opportunity to plead with clean cooking energy companies to support the Government's efforts to encourage the use of clean cooking energy and abandon wood and charcoal to save the trees that are cut down.

ATCL Director General Ladislaus Matindi said that air travel can contribute to global warming by five percent.

He said that due to this situation, the International Aviation Community has agreed to use engines that do not use petrol and instead use alternative energy of grain oil, beans. 

Matindi said that they are taking steps to ensure that airplanes do not contribute to the release of greenhouse gases in the air, as well as reducing the time spent in the air by the airplanes to reduce the temperature of the gases coming out. 

Director of WBM Latifa Mohamed said the goal of the campaign is 6,000 trees in one year at six primary and secondary schools in the regions of Mwanza, Kagera, Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Mbeya and Mtwara.

She said that through the project with the theme 'Our environment, our life' will help reduce the effects of environmental pollution by providing environmental education to students.