AMA holds stakeholders engagement on sanitation and noise pollution

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has organised a one day stakeholders engagement with residents of Ashiedu Keteke as part of efforts to improve sanitation and reduce noise pollution in the area.

Addressing the stakeholders, Chief Executive Officer of AMA, Hon. Mohammed Adjei Sowah, reiterated the Assembly’s commitment towards making Accra the cleanest city in Africa as declared by the President, and urged city dwellers to support the vision.

He announced that the Assembly would from Monday, 15th April, 2019 intensify enforcement of its by-laws on littering in the city.

“With regards to littering, we have been enforcing the law but we will be intensifying our enforcement come Monday. Over 200 persons were prosecuted for various sanitation offences in the first quarter of 2019, “he said.

The AMA boss also revealed that, the Assembly would pilot its waste segregation program within the Ashiedu Keteke Sub Metropolitan Area in the coming days as part of efforts to sustainably manage waste in the city.

"People sweep and dump their refuse into the gutters and it all gather in the London market drain," he added urging residents to desist from the act and give their waste to accredited waste collectors.

Explaining the bye-laws to the stakeholders, the Head of Public Health Department of AMA, Mr. Victor Acquaye, indicated that the AMA bye-laws 2017 mandate citizens to desist from disposing off their waste at unauthorized places, adding that the law mandates residents to clean their immediate surroundings.

“If your house is closer to a gutter or the road side, you have to clean that place because that is what the law says. It is not the work of the Assembly. Failure to comply will attract sanctions,” he said.

Touching on noise pollution Mr. Acquaye revealed that the permissible noise level in Accra by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is 55 decibels during the day and 45 at night and urged all to adhere.

Head of Waste management at the AMA, Eng. Solomon Noye in a presentation noted that waste is sole property of the Assembly and a resource. He urged residents to desist from dumping at unauthorised places and into drains adding that all the waste ends up polluting the ocean.

He also used the occasion to educate residents on the effects of littering and poor sanitation.

Communities which fall under this sub metro are, Ga Mashie, Central Business District (CBD) and Agbogbloshie among others.