Concerns have been raised after floating litter were found washed up at the waterfront on Faua wharf Saturday 4.
Plastic, tin cans and discarded household items can be seen amongst the detritus.
Photos taken at the scene were uploaded to Facebook by Tino Tatafu, who wrote in Tongan that what he had seen showed “the habit of living with dirty (fakapuopuaka)” and “unhygienic”.
Tatafu, a Tongan born but now residing in Australia also warned that his friends who are tourists from the continent might not come to Tonga if this is the way how the waterfront looks like.
He told Kaniva News he was in Tonga when he spotted the litter.
The floating trash was reported after the Prime Minister of Tonga ʻAkilisi Pōhiva was seen picking up rubbish at one of the public places in Nukuʻalofa in March.
Since Pōhiva became the kingdom’s prime minister he repeatedly announced his policy to keep the country clean and stressed the importance of educating the public about how to keep and maintain public places in clean conditions.
In 2015 the government spent TP$200,000 (NZ$136,000) in a projct to dispose of derelict ships in Faua Harbour in Nukuʻalofa.
The Prime Minister said it was important to have the Nukuʻalofa waterfront clean not only for the Tongans but for the thousands of tourists from overseas who arrive in Tonga every year.
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