By Yussif Ibrahim
Obuasi, Oct. 25, GNA – As part of efforts to improve sanitation in Obuasi and its adjoining communities, the Environmental Health Directorate of the Obuasi Municipal Assembly, has embarked on a campaign to sanction offenders.
Dubbed, “Name, Shame and Sanction Campaign”, the initiative seeks to call out persons who flout environmental laws and apply the necessary sanctions.
The campaign also seeks to raise awareness on the need to keep the environment clean following a rise in sanitation related consequences in the Municipality.
In the company of the media, Environmental Health Officials identify public places in Obuasi, especially food joints with poor sanitary conditions and take appropropriate action against the perpetrators.
Ms. Fuseina Imoro, the Municipal Environmental Health officer, briefing the media after the first exercise, said it followed incessant complaints from the public about unhygienic conditions at some chop bars in the Obuasi municipality.
“We decided to involve the media in this exercise to serve as a deterrent to those who constantly flout our laws with impunity.
We have had a lot of complaints from the general public and our officers on the ground so this time around we decided to involve the media to name and shame offenders,” Ms. Imoro said.
She said as part of the exercise, they issued abatement notices to those who had violated the environmental laws to afford them the time and space to correct their wrongs.
She said her office would do a follow up to ensure the anomalies detected are rectified.
“When we come back and see things are the same, we will process offenders for court,” she cautioned.
She said the Assembly had resolved to enforce its environmental byelaws to ensure full complaisance in a bid to keep the environment clean.
Mr. Richmond Adam Brown, the Municipal Prosecutor said that the current Public Health Laws were punitive and deterrent enough and that strict enforcement would help keep the township clean.
“The byelaws and the Criminal Offences Act was not deterrent enough, but the introduction of the Public Health Laws 2012 Act 851 has given us hope that we can fight to keep our environment clean and safe since it contains punitive actions to deal with offenders”, he said.
He said the Assembly had taken into consideration the process involved in the enforcement of environmental laws, hence this bid to give verbal education and abatement notice to offenders.
He reiterated that the Assembly would follow up with court action against those who failed to take steps to improve the sanitary situation in their surroundings.
GNA