By Michael Foli Jackidy, GNA
Ho (V/R), July 3, GNA – The Rotaract Club of Ho, in collaboration with the Mawuleme Movement and with support from the Rotary Club of Ho and the Environmental Health Unit of the Ho Municipal Assembly, has undertaken a major sanitation exercise to desilt drains and clear refuse along sections of the municipality to reduce the risk of flooding during the rainy season.
The exercise, held on Friday, brought together volunteers from the Rotary Club of Ho, students of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) and Ho Technical University, as well as officials of the Ho Municipal Assembly.
Participants cleaned streets and desilted drains along the stretch from Stadium Junction to Flats Junction after plans to clean around the Ho Central Market were postponed because of market day activities.
Mr Priscus Ackon, the Project Director of the Rotary Club of Ho, said the initiative was aimed at safeguarding the municipality against flooding by ensuring that drains remained free of sand, plastics and other debris that obstructed the flow of stormwater.
He said although Ho was widely known as the “Oxygen City,” residents could not take the municipality’s environmental cleanliness for granted, particularly following recent flooding incidents in other parts of the country.
“Our initial plan was to clean around the Ho Central Market, but because today is market day, we had to shift to this stretch. What we found here is alarming. The drains from Stadium Junction to Flats Junction are heavily silted and choked with sand and plastic waste. It is a time bomb if nothing is done,” he said.
Mr Ackon noted that within about three hours, volunteers had removed large quantities of sand from only a short section of the drains, indicating that the drainage system had not been desilted for a long time.
He said although the group could not complete the entire stretch in a day, it was committed to returning to continue the exercise until the drains were fully cleared.
Mr Prince Yao Amevi, the Convenor of the Mawuleme Movement, said the campaign was intended not only to clear drains but also to draw attention to poor sanitation practices contributing to environmental degradation.
He said volunteers discovered that overgrown bushes along the roads had become dumping grounds for household refuse and human waste, including used baby diapers, posing serious environmental and public health risks.
“People intentionally carry refuse from their homes and dump it in these bushes. We found large quantities of waste and even faecal matter hidden in overgrown vegetation. This must stop,” he said.
Mr Amevi called for regular maintenance of drains, suggesting that desilting should be carried out at least every three months, while overgrown vegetation along roadsides should be cleared to discourage indiscriminate dumping.
He also appealed to the Ho Municipal Assembly, the Department of Urban Roads and the Ghana Highways Authority to strengthen maintenance of drainage infrastructure.
Mr Amevi announced that the Mawuleme Movement would this month launch a “Name and Shame Campaign” aimed at exposing individuals and businesses that litter public spaces.
He explained that photographs and locations of indiscriminately littered areas would be published on social media after public education campaigns in the affected communities to encourage responsible waste disposal.
Mrs Edem Degboe Gakpetor, the Ho Municipal Environmental Health Analyst, said the exercise formed part of ongoing efforts by the Assembly and its partners to minimise flood risks as the rainy season intensified.
She commended the Rotary Club, Rotaract Club and the Mawuleme Movement for complementing the Assembly’s sanitation efforts.
“The rains have begun and we are witnessing flooding in many parts of the country. We do not want Ho to experience similar disasters, so we are making every effort to keep our drains clean,” she said.
Mrs Gakpetor said although the planned cleanup at the Ho Central Market had been postponed because of market activities, the exercise would be rescheduled.
She reiterated that sanitation remained a shared responsibility and urged residents, shop owners and property owners to keep their surroundings and drains clean.
She warned that individuals caught dumping refuse into drains would face prosecution, adding that the Assembly would continue enforcing its “Operation Clean Your Frontage” campaign.
“Ho is our home and our Oxygen City. We all have a responsibility to keep it clean. Nobody will do it for us. Let us work together to protect our environment and prevent flooding,” she said.
GNA
Edited By: Maxwell Awumah/ Christabel Addo