Deal ruthlessly with persons who dump refuse in drains - Atta-Kyea to MMDAs

For years, flooding has accompanied every heavy downpour in some parts of Accra as a result of choked drains caused by activities of persons who dump garbage in open drains.

It has, therefore, become necessary to sanction persons who are caught in this unpardonable act which for years has cost the country lives and loss of properties.

In line with this, the Minister of Works and Housing, Samuel Atta-Akyea has charged Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to enforce the sanitation by-laws to prosecute all those who are seen dumping filth into drains. This, he believes will be the surest way to prevent people from indulging in the act.

“The MMDAs must begin to deal ruthlessly with those who use the open drains as their receptacle for filth so that the indiscipline ceases…the sanitation by-laws must be activated, so that obstinately uncooperative individual who break the laws are punished accordingly,” he said.

Following Tuesday, June 8, 2020, downpour, flood-prone areas in the country recorded devastating cases including a body been retrieved from the Odawna river at Kwame Nkrumah Circle.

Some affected areas of last night's rains included Circle, Dome, Sakaman, Adabraka, Dansoman, Agbgbloshie, Odawna, Avenor, and parts of Ashomang.

When GhanaWeb visited some affected communities, residents were seen salvaging their properties. Victims of the flood who stayed awake throughout the night were seen trying to clear the water that had found its way into their homes.

Ghanaians have thus called for an attitudinal change to prevent the annual floods especially in the country’s capital of Accra.

Also, despite the efforts by city authorities and government to drench major drains across the country, much has not been achieved. Until residents put a stop to filling drainages with the filth generate from their homes and workplaces, the country cannot win the fight against flooding.

Mr. Samuel Atta Akyea who spoke to the Press at a distilling exercise in Koforidua in the Eastern Region on June 6, 2020, also outline the health dangers from poor sanitation and called for a collective effort from MMDAs and local residents to address the situation.

“Some of the health challenges we face in this country such as diarrhea, dysentery, typhoid, and others, are all filth-related, so when we clean our environment we give ourselves good health,” said Samuel Atta Akyea.