By Emmanuel Nyatsikor, GNA
Adaklu Kpodzi (V/R), Oct. 3 GNA – Mr Jerry Yao Ameko, Adaklu District Chief Executive (DCE) Saturday called on Ghanaians to see the National Sanitation Day (NSD) exercise as a fundamental civic responsibility that directly impacted public health.
He stated that the exercise also promoted Community wellbeing, mitigated severe flooding and fostered community spirit.
Mr Ameko made the call when he and Mad Stella Vidzro, Adaklu District Environmental Health Officer (DEHO) joined the people of Adaklu Kpodzi to observe the October edition of the National Sanitation Day exercise in the Adaklu district.
The Day also served as the country’s national commemoration of World Cleanup Day which was on the theme “From Clean Plates to Clean Cities.”
It focused on reducing food waste and its impact on the environment.
Ghana’s complimentary theme was “National Sanitation Day: Local Actions Yielding National Impact.”
Mr Ameko noted that keeping communities clean should not be the sole responsibility of local Assemblies but a shared “moral, cultural and civic responsibility.”
He reminded the people that cleaning communities drastically reduced the breeding grounds for mosquitoes and bacteria which in turn reduced the incidence of sanitation-related diseases like malaria and cholera.
The DCE therefore urged the people not to view the exercise as a forced monthly chore.
He called on traditional authorities and other stakeholders to maintain the cleanliness of their communities by sustaining the importance they attached to the day.
Mr Ameko who is also the Dean of Volta Region MDCEs advised the youth, especially to build a culture of environmental responsibility in their homes, work places and communities.
He intimated that “Operation Clean Your Front” which is the offshoot of the National Sanitation Day was aimed at reminding people that sanitation was a daily activity.
“Cleaning our communities, workplaces and homes should not be a monthly exercise but a daily routine,” he stated.
Mr Ameko reminded the people that the cleanup exercise was also a fitness and healing exercise as it involved the movement of all body parts.
He said the Assembly has instituted an awards Programme to honour the three cleanest communities in the district and that the Environmental Health Department has been tasked to assess and select the communities which would be presented with the awards at the end of the year.
The DCE stated that development projects could only be sited in clean environments, adding tha5 cleanliness is next to Godliness.
Mad Vidzro on her part praised the enthusiasm shown by the people towards the Day and urged them to keep it up.
She asked them to help her outfit reduce the menace of plastic waste in the district.
The DCE and DEHO also joined the people of Adaklu Waya and Adaklu Hehekpoe for the exercise.
As part of efforts to improve environmental cleanliness and tackle the persistent flooding challenges in the country, the government has announced plans to make sanitation management and environmental cleanliness to serve as performance metrics for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Kenneth Odeng Adade