By Daniel Agbesi Latsu, GNA
Kadjebi (O/R), July 09, GNA – Mr Victus Elorm Kpotosu, Kadjebi District Environmental Health Officer (DEHO), has called on residents of the district to sustain environmental cleanliness to promote healthy living and prevent the outbreak of sanitation-related diseases.
He said keeping the environment clean should not be limited to the monthly National Sanitation Day exercise but should become a daily responsibility for every individual, household, and institution.
Mr Kpotosu made the call during the monthly National Sanitation Day observation at Kadjebi in the Oti Region, where personnel from public institutions and residents undertook a clean-up exercise at markets, drains, streets and public places.
He said poor sanitation continued to pose a major public health challenge, noting that indiscriminate disposal of refuse; choked drains and stagnant water created breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other disease-causing organisms.
Mr Kpotosu urged residents to adopt good sanitation practices to help prevent diseases such as malaria, cholera, typhoid fever, diarrhoea, dysentery and other environmental-related illnesses.
He advised households to regularly sweep their compounds, clear weeds, desilt drains, cover water storage containers, and dispose of waste at approved dumping sites to reduce the risk of disease outbreaks.
The DEHO also appealed to food vendors, traders and business operators to maintain high standards of hygiene in and around their premises to safeguard public health.
He encouraged landlords to provide adequate sanitary facilities for tenants and ensure that their surroundings always remained clean.
Mr Kpotosu stressed that maintaining environmental cleanliness was a shared responsibility and called on traditional authorities, assembly members, religious leaders, youth groups and community-based organisations to intensify public education on sanitation.
He commended the participants for supporting the clean-up exercise and urged them not to relent in their efforts after the day’s activity.
He expressed optimism that sustained community participation in sanitation campaigns would contribute significantly to reducing the prevalence of preventable diseases and improving the overall well-being of residents in the Kadjebi District.
The monthly National Sanitation Day exercise forms part of efforts by the government and local authorities to promote good environmental sanitation and encourage behavioural change towards keeping communities clean.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah /Keneth Odeng Adade