Court prosecutes sanitation offenders

The Abeka Sanitation and Motor Magistrate Court has prosecuted 21 residents of Lapaz and its environs within the Okaikoi North Sub-metro of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA).

They were fined various amounts of money totalling GH¢720.00 for contravening Section 56(a) and (b) of Act 851, Public Health Act (2012).

In default of the fines, they would serve six months imprisonment each for dumping refuse at unauthorised places.

The court presided by Mrs Victoria Ghansah cautioned persons who flouted sanitation laws and that anyone caught would be given severe sanctions to serve as deterrents.

She advised the offenders to be ambassadors of a clean environment, adding that; “in this country, people act like there are no laws on sanitation.”

Mrs Ghansah urged that; “until one finds a dust bin, there is the need to keep any generated refuse and dispose it off at an approved location.”

She called on the AMA to get residents who had not yet registered under the polluter-pay policy to do so.

Mr Angle Ketadjo, the Sub-metro Director of Okaikoi North said for some time now some unscrupulous persons had been dumping refuse on the streets of Lapaz along the ‘N1’ Highway in the night making the road unattractive.

“Due to this, the sub-metro formed a taskforce including the Police to curb the menace which could lead to the outbreak of cholera and other related diseases,” he said.

Mr Ketadjo said the sanitation offenders were caught dumping the rubbish at Lapaz main road and others were also caught at the Lapaz Market.

He said the exercise would continue for the next three months to curb illegal disposal of waste in the sub-metro and also ensure that needed changes in attitude was realised.

The Sub-metro Director said the exercise would cover ceremonial roads at Achimota, Tesano, Abeka and their environs.