By Michael Foli Jackidy, GNA
Ho (V/R), July 10, GNA – Residents, public institutions, educational establishments, corporate organisations and staff of the Ho Municipal Assembly on Friday joined in on the first of the two-day nationwide sanitation exercise.
President John Dramani Mahama directed the exercise to be taken to improve environmental cleanliness and prevent flooding.
The participants swept streets, cleared overgrown vegetation, desilted choked drains and gutters, cleared refuse and cleaned the frontages of their houses, offices and business premises across the municipality.
The Ghana News Agency (GNA) observed that students from schools, staff from financial institutions, security agencies, businesses and community members enthusiastically took part in the exercise.
Some participants however expressed concern over the heavy accumulation of silt and debris in major drains, which made the exercise physically demanding.
Speaking to the GNA, Mr Anthony Kudiabor, the Deputy Ho Municipal Environmental Health Officer, said the Ho Municipal Assembly had fully complied with the President’s directive by assigning institutions, educational establishments, security agencies and community groups to designated locations to undertake the exercise.
He said officers from the Environmental Health and Sanitation Department led monitoring and supervision teams across the municipality and expressed satisfaction with the level of compliance.
“We have witnessed encouraging participation across the municipality. Residents came out in their numbers, and the various institutions carried out their assigned responsibilities. This demonstrates that people are becoming more conscious of the need to protect the environment,” he said.
Mr Kudiabor said communities around Gborgame, SOSTECH, Lokoe, the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), Wallas Academy, Ho Technical University, Mawuko, Mawuli School and other educational institutions actively participated in the exercise.
He said personnel from the 66 Artillery Regiment, traders at the Ho Central Market, staff of the Integrated Recycling and Compost Plant (IRECOP), Assembly staff and workers from the Ho Polyclinic also joined the clean-up activities.
According to him, the Assembly also concentrated efforts on flood-prone areas, particularly around the Ho Polyclinic bridge and the Guinness area, where large volumes of silt and debris deposited during the recent floods were being removed.
“We are still evacuating huge quantities of sand from some drains because they have become heavily silted. Although our logistics are limited, we have deployed the available resources effectively,” he stated.
Mr Kudiabor commended corporate organisations, including MTN Ghana, Fidelity Bank, GCB Bank and Stanbic Bank, for supporting the exercise through the active participation of their staff.
He urged residents to stop indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drains and bushes, warning that such practices contributed significantly to flooding and environmental pollution.
“Sanitation is everybody’s responsibility. We must change our attitude towards waste disposal. Refuse should be placed in household bins or approved communal containers for collection and proper disposal, rather than being dumped into drains where it eventually causes flooding,” he said.
Mr Kudiabor appealed to residents to comply fully on the second day of the exercise, reminding traders and shop owners that businesses were expected to remain closed during the official clean-up period in accordance with the Government’s directive.
He expressed optimism that sustained community participation would help preserve Ho’s reputation as Ghana’s “Oxygen City” and contribute to a cleaner, healthier and safer environment.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Benjamin Mensah