By Mildred Siabi-Mensah
Sekondi, April 20, GNA – Mr. Abdul Karim Hudu, the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Environmental Health Officer says the Assembly has procured gadgets needed to kick start the “Electronic Tankas” model in all electoral areas in the Metropolis.
The Electronic Tankas model popularly called “E-Tankas” was mooted by the Western Regional Coordinating Council under the leadership of Mr. Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah to digitalise the operations of the Environmental Health Departments in the 14 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the Western Region of Ghana.
This led to the development of a mobile and web application titled, E-TANKAS, a short form for the Electronic Town Council to transform the work of the Environmental Health work from the manual way of managing and reporting waste nuisance in society into the electronic platform.
The software he explained was intended to automate environmental health administration by the local assemblies across the 14 Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies.
It would help track environmental health issues confronting the various communities within the districts and the region at large.
In addition, the software would help in tracking offenders who breach the sanitation laws on environmental health as well as serve as a revenue mobilization tool that would alleviate leakages from fines and fees charged by the Environmental Health Department.
Mr. Hudu told the Ghana News Agency that after the pilot project in three districts of the Region, it had become important for a regional roll out to replicate the successes chalked under the pilot phase.
He said spot fines ranging between GHS200 and GHS1000 had been instituted for both domestic and commercial nuisance.
Mr. Hudu said the Assembly had started outdoor engagement with stakeholders on the new model so that the service could be rolled out in May this year.
The Officer said rearing animals without permit, bush burning, household or kitchen dirt, open Defecation among such offenses would attract such spot fines and called on the communities to abide by all sanitation by-Laws.
GNA