'Drains are not garbage systems' - President Mahama tells citizens

President John Dramani Mahama has cautioned citizens against dumping refuse into gutters, warning that the practice worsens flooding across the country.

He emphasised that drainage systems are not waste disposal facilities and should not be used as dumping grounds.

Speaking to the media after participating in the national clean-up exercise at Alajo on July 10, 2026, President Mahama said, “We must stop the reckless dumping of things into the drains. The drains are not garbage instruments. If you want to dispose of something, you know how to dispose of it. We have skip trucks that leave containers all over the city. Just go and throw your garbage into that and the truck will come and pick it up and take it where it has to go.”

Abuakwa North MCE leads massive clean-up exercise to combat flooding

The President further stated that several drains are clogged with heavy silt, plastics, household waste, old furniture, and discarded engine blocks.

“We've just worked on this Alajo drain. It's part of the Odaw Stream. We cleared the drains, and there are two problems. There is silt, and then there are plastics and household waste. In a drain like this, you find things such as engine blocks that people have discarded, old furniture, dining tables, and everything you can imagine,” he said.

President Mahama acknowledged that the two-day exercise would not be enough to complete the task and announced plans to institutionalise the initiative to promote continuous environmental sanitation.

“Two days are not enough to finish this work, but we're going to institute it so that at least one day every month, all of us should come out and clean our surroundings. That is what our traditional values were about. We were taught to keep a clean environment, but when we leave our hometowns and come to the cities, because of the anonymity of urbanisation, we think nobody watches us. So, we dump those values and live in filth. We must change that attitude,” he said.

The President also disclosed that funds had been released to support flood mitigation efforts, including the dredging of drains.

“I’m also asking the Minister of Finance; he has already released GH¢150 million to help with flood mitigation, including the dredging of drains and other interventions,” he said.

President Mahama praised the large turnout of citizens, traditional leaders, and security agencies who participated in the clean-up exercise.

“The people of Ghana are coming out in their numbers to take part in this clean-up. Today is day one, tomorrow is day two. We are joined by the Armed Forces and security services. The traditional rulers are here with us, and everybody has come out to take part in this important national exercise. The flags have been hoisted,” he said.

He added that the military would continue supporting sanitation efforts beyond the two-day exercise, noting that specialised equipment would be deployed to remove silt cleared from drains.

“The military will continue that exercise even after we have finished this two-day clean-up. We also have to get specialised machines like backhoes to take the silt that we have removed from the drains and put them into dump trucks or tipper trucks for disposal,” he added.



RAD/VPO