By Samuel Dodoo
Accra, May 17, GNA – Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources has paid familiarisation visits to a number of communities under the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project in some districts.
The visit, which was meant to acquaint her with the flooding challenges facing the people, took her to Madina, Pantang, Ofankor, Agbogbloshie, Glefe and Korle Dudor.
She interacted with market women, drivers and food vendors to sensitise them on disaster preparedness activities and good sanitation.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Madam Dapaah gave assurance that the government would support them to alleviate or overcome their challenges.
She said the GARID was designed to address most of the flooding and sanitation challenges, especially in the targeted vulnerable communities along the Odaw River Basin.
The Minister said her Ministry’s components in the project were to improve flood risk and solid waste management in the Odaw River, improve access to basic social services in the targeted areas and the low-lying communities, hence the need for district assemblies to pay more attention to good sanitation in their areas.
She said Ghanaians continued to suffer the burden of communicable diseases due to poor hygiene and illegal dumping of refuse into drains and stressed the need for the assemblies to evolve strategies that would reduce if not eradicate the effects of the menace in the country.
Mrs Theodora Adomako-Adjei, Head of the Community Water and Sanitation Services in the La-Nkwatanang-Madina Municipal Assembly who took the Minister around the Madina Market, later briefed her on good hygiene and sanitation practices being undertaken in the area.
Madam Elizabeth Kwatsoe Sackey, the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, who accompanied the Minister urged the people at Agbogbloshie to take the responsibility to ensure good sanitation and also adhere to all the environmental laws to avoid prosecution.
GNA