Grace Morning Devotion Group undertake cleanup exercise

Accra, Aug 7, GNA - The Grace Morning Devotion Group, a non-denomination Christian prayer organisation, at Ayalolo in the Adhiedu Keteke Sub-metropolitan Area in Accra on Saturday, organised a four-hour clean-up exercise at Korle Workon.

About 150 members of the group started the exercise from the Akwei Memorial School, desilting choked gutters, sweeping and weeding along the streets within the Korle Dudor Electoral Area and ended at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church at Derby Avenue and the Arena Lorry station. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency, the leader of the group, Mrs Lily Okai, said: 93Cleanliness is next to Godliness", adding that they decide= d to embark on the exercise to ensure environmental hygiene in the area. She noted that clean surroundings would protect the residents from contracting diseases such as malaria and cholera.

Mrs Okai said refuse management was a major problem in the Agbogbloshie, Kantamanto and Timber markets areas because markets were located within those areas.

She said that members of the group would regularly undertake the exercise to rid the area of filth.

The group leader called on religious organisations to be concerned about the physical as well as the spiritual wellbeing of members of society= .. Mrs Okai said healthy people would better worship God and help win mor= e souls for Christ.

She appealed to the people to keep their surroundings clean, a responsibility, which according to her should not be relegated to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and the government alone. Mrs Okai asked residents of the area to dispose of refuse properly and to avoid littering indiscriminately and advised households to register with the waste management contractors operating in the area to ensure clean environment. The Assembly Member for Korle Dudro, Mr Kabiru Ashong Katai, who in th= e company of members of the Ayalolo Development and Welfare Association joine= d the exercise, said every last Saturday of every month would be used to clea= n up the area.

He said Assembly Members within the Sub-metropolitan Area decided to embark on the clean-up exercise in preparation for the celebration of the Homowo Festival of the Chiefs and people of the Ga Mashie Traditional area. Mr Ashong Katai expressed concern about the existence of open drains i= n the area, and said he would contact the Sub-metropolitan Administration and the AMA to find a solution to the problem, especially along the Kantamanto to UTC road.

He said that hawkers and traders operating in the area would be re-located to the markets since they had been identified as major contributors to choking of gutters and drains and the creation of refuse. Mr Ashong Katai commended the Sub-metropolitan Administration and the Zoomlion and Merksworld Waste Management contractors for supporting the exercise with vehicle, logistics and tools. Mr Daniel Okai, a member of the AMA and Mr Joseph Otoo, Metropolitan Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation joined the exercise.