By Opesika Tetteh Puplampu
Ada Foah, April 23, GNA - Residents of Ada-Foah in the Ada East District of the Greater Accra Region, have marked this year’s World Earth Day with a clean-up activity along the beaches of the old Ada Fort.
The exercise was organised by Alkebulan Heritage Centre, a hospitality services provider and wellness centre in Ada, bringing together stakeholders, including environmental non-governmental organisations and civil society organisations on conservation, waste management, and climate resilience building.
Other participating stakeholders were government agencies, including the District Environmental Health Department and relevant unit committee members of the local assembly, waste management institutions, climate change campaigners, and the Ada Tourism Association.
The maiden World Earth Day commemoration in Ada was aimed at encouraging good sanitation practices, environmental protection and awareness creation on the need to take care of natural resources.
The participants swept and gathered plastic waste and other rubbish from the seashore to protect the environment and marine life.
Mr Ebenezer Nartey, the Assembly Member for the Zongo Electoral Area, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), commended the people for their support and stressed the importance of protecting natural resources like the Songor Lagoon, the Volta River, and the Atlantic Ocean.
“Our natural resources are not just for the nation; they support our local economy and culture. We must protect them from pollution and destruction,” he said.
He also praised efforts to stop open defecation in the area, noting that many homes in the area now have toilets, which helps to improve sanitation and public health.
Mr Frank Opoku Abimah, the Director of Environmental Health and Sanitation, Ada East, warned about the dangers of illegal sand mining, which is causing coastal erosion and leading to the loss of trees.
He called on relevant authorities to enhance education and ensure the laws were followed, to help conserve natural resources in the area.
Mr Eugene Eyram Apana, a climate change campaigner, said the activity was an important step for the Ada community, adding that World Earth Day should not only be seen as a celebration but a time to take action.
Mr Apana stated that “This clean-up shows that the people of Ada are ready to take care of the environment and join the global fight against climate change.”
He suggested that the waste found along the beach could be processed into manure for farming.
He also encouraged the community to clean the beach daily to make it attractive to visitors.
GNA
LS/CAA