How To Maintain Good Sanitary Conditions Ahead Of Rainy Season

The Government's quest to make Accra one of the cleanest cities in Africa is good, looking at the current situation in the country where it is believed that about 20 million tonnes of waste is generated daily, with Accra alone generating the chunk of it. The improper management of these wastes is making the country filthy and unattractive. This therefore calls for pro-active measures by the city authorities who have been entrusted with the mandate to collect these waste to be up and doing. And with the onset of rains this year as has been predicted by the Ghana Meteorological Agency, it behoves the Assemblies to plan towards desilting the drains to avoid perennial flooding especially the national capital. The continuous flooding of Accra every year is making Ghana which is located in the centre of the world unattractive to investors and tourists due to the country's inability to manage waste. Proper disposal of plastic waste is becoming a serious challenge for the country. The worst part of this alarming challenge of waste disposal is the fact that educators who should know better about proper waste management are the worst offenders. This is premised on the fact that people who should know better litter indiscriminately, to the extent of even throwing rubbish from moving vehicles without thinking about the consequences of their actions.

The continuous littering of the environment is actually making the President's vision of making Accra one of the cleanest cities in Africa an illusion. For government to realise this vision, Ghanaians have to change their attitude towards waste disposal. The Ministry for Sanitation and Water Resources created by the government has not done much in the area of waste control and management in the country. The sector Ministry should be pro-active towards this end. Moreso, government should adequately resource the Sanitation Ministry to enable it to perform to realise the vision of the President. Every year, Ghana attracts a lot of tourists due to its attractions and other natural sites. However, the poor sanitation situation in the country is deterring most of these tourists from visiting. The technocrats in the Sanitation Ministry should learn from countries with best practices like Germany, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates and the United States which manage their waste well.

The Ministry for Sanitation and Water Resources should re-introduce the Sanitary Inspectors policy popularly known as (nsamannsaman) in the Akan language, who in the past helped to control waste disposal. As part of government's one district one factory policy, prioritizing the establishment of recycling plants to help manage the waste is highly commendable. The initiative by the Ghana Recycling Company, an NGO which has turned the sachet bags into pavement blocks needs to be commended. These sachet bags and other plastic waste can equally be recycled into plastic chairs, tables, bitumen, plastic bowls among other plastic products. To help realise the vision of the President, Ghanaians have to develop zero tolerance towards littering the environment and to sanction those who flout the laws on sanitation. This will deter others from indulging in such acts.

BY: DANIEL OTSIN, CIRCUIT SUPERVISOR MUNICIPAL EDUCATION OFFICE - AKIM ODA.

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