Almost all business activities and vehicular movements came to a halt in Koforidua as residents came out in their numbers to participate in the sixth National Sanitation Day (NSD)
Led by the Vice-President, Mr Kwesi Amissah-Arthur; the Chief of Staff, Mr Julius Debrah; the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Alhaji Collins Dauda; the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Antwi Boasiako Sekyere; the Krontihene of the New Juaben Traditional Area, Baffour Nyantakyi Tutu Boateng, among other dignitaries, the residents desilted choked drains, collected refuse, and cleared weeds around their environs.
They were ably supported by the security agencies such as the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) and the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
Activities
At the Juaben Serwaa Market, all shops were closed and market women were seen sweeping and cleaning their shops, while others washed containers used in selling their wares.
The situation was not different at Suhyen and the Zongo community. Amid drumming and dancing, the women swept their compounds while children helped to collect rubbish which was sent to the final disposal point.
Some workers from Zoomlion Ghana Limited were also seen collecting heaps of rubbish around the market.
The GNFS also used their fire hydrants to pump water into drains that were choked for easy flow of water.
Continue to clean
Addressing the media, Mr Amissah-Arthur urged the residents to continue to clean their surroundings even after the exercise, saying that "we don't want this to be an event but it should be something that should be a regular part of the people that will impact on their health status".
He lauded the support of the residents, as well as organisations and institutions whose staff devoted and supported the event with equipment for the exercise.
The Krontihene of the New Juaben Traditional Area, Baffour Nyantakyi Tutu Boateng assured the government that the traditional leaders in the area would liaise with the district assemblies to undertake such cleaning exercise regularly.
"We believe the if we engage in such activities, we will be able to instil discipline in the lives of Ghanaians so that the people will eat, think, drink and feel the National Sanitation Day," he said.
Sanitary inspectors
The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Alhaji Dauda, in his remarks, lauded the people of Koforidua for coming out in their numbers to support the national exercise.
He, however, encouraged them to continue to clean their environments in order to prevent non-communicable diseases such as cholera.
On sanitary inspectors, Alhaji Dauda said Parliament had approved GH¢30,000 of the District Assemblies Common Fund to be used to support sanitation-related activities.
He said the money would, among other things, be used to finance the activities of the town council, popularly known as 'saman, saman' in order for them to monitor and arrest those who would flout sanitation laws.
In Accra, Salomey Appiah reports that there was low turnout of residents during the exercise in parts of Accra.
The apathetic attitude of the residents compelled the Chief Executive Officer of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Dr Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije, to underscore the need for a legislation to give legal effect to the National Sanitation Day.
According to him, the law would compel Ghanaians to actively participate in the exercise.
Dr Vanderpuije made the suggestion when he went round some parts of Accra to monitor the sixth edition of the national sanitation exercise last Saturday.
At Abossey Okai, some of the traders gave the excuse that they could not participate in the exercise because they did not have tools to work with.
According to them, they knew about the exercise and came with the expectations that the AMA would provide them with the necessary tools to clean their environment.
"We are ready but you know l cannot clean the filth with my hands so I need the tools to clean, and until that is provided for me I cannot do anything," a trader who gave his name only as Kwame told the Daily Graphic.
Some of the traders also opened their shops and only closed them when they saw Dr Vanderpuije and his entourage because they were afraid that their goods would be confiscated by the authorities.
Abossey Okai is the largest market place for the sale of car spares and accessories in Ghana.
At Kaneshie, apart from the Zoomlion workers, very few people were seen participating in the exercise.
Some women who were selling porridge and “waakye”, (rice and beans), stopped immediately and took their brooms to sweep their immediate surroundings when they saw Dr Vanderpuije and his team visit their area during the exercise.
Be responsible
Dr Vanderpuije, who bemoaned the attitude of the traders at Abossey Okai and Kaneshie, said he was disappointed.
Addressing the media, Dr Vanderpuiye said the government could not provide all the tools at all times hence the need for traders to get their own materials to work with in order to keep their own environment clean and safe from diseases.
The government was obliged to provide amenities such as electricity, roads and hospitals, he said, adding that simple tools such as shovels, brooms and other cleaning material could be provided by the citizens to make the exercise more effective.
Clean-up in Kumasi
From Kumasi, Emmanuel Baah reports that the Chief Executive Officer of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Mr Kojo Bonsu, led some officials of the Waste Management Department of the KMA, personnel of Zoomlion and the security services to clean the city during the sanitation day exercise.
The team, amid brass band music, joined traders at the Bantama Market, Abrepo Junction and the Kejetia Lorry Terminal to desilt some of the major drains and clear garbage.
To ensure massive participation in the exercise, the KMA Task Force went round the city, especially the Central Business District, to ensure that all shops were locked in order for the traders to join.
Mr Bonsu told the media that he was satisfied with the exercise, adding that in spite of the fact that it coincided with the Easter festivities, the turnout was encouraging.
He said the last sanitation day did not receive the needed attention, which informed his decision to close down a hotel and its adjoining washing bay at Asafo.
The CEO said with the public education and enforcement, residents of Kumasi had now understood the essence of cleaning their own environment.
Some students from the Continental Hall of the Kwame Nkrumah Science and Technology (KNUST) joined the team at Kejetia, where they treated the participants to ‘jama music.’
