By:Emmanuel Agyenfra Boateng.
In nation building,we all have important roles to play in order to help build a better Ghana and in so doing,we pay a price that later brings us fruitful results.Sanitation in Ghana has been a canker government upon government try to avert but to know avail.
The saying cleanliness Is Next To Goldiness,has been the anthem of most Ghanaians but we don’t profess it.
On Ghanaweb publication of 15/01/13,was a headline that seconded my article:Ghana looses 420million to poor sanitation annually’ !This report was from the Water and Sanitation Programme of the World Bank.
The New York Times placed Accra at number 4 as one of the cities worth touring and the question i asked myself was what was the criteria for these ranking?was the poor sanitation control in Accra considered atall?
Rural Urban Migration is one of the main causes of poor sanitation in our cities,the more the people come in,the more filth they make and our sanitation authorities are unable to manage or control our waste properly,leaving us competing with heaps of rubbish for space.
Poor city planning which in a way causes slummy areas amount to filthiness,since waste management become very difficult to do.There are so many cities in Ghana with poorly planned building sites.Kumasi,Accra,Obuasi,Tarkwa and busy cities are suffering from sanitation control due to improper planning.
1.6million people die from cholera and sanitation related diseases across the whole world and i think Ghana is not left out from this ranking,recently there was a cholera outbreak in Obuasi which claimed some lives.It was all related to polluted drinking water,choked gutters,poor waste disposal and poor hygiene.The Achimota stench is not to be left out,until residents complained bitterly,the wste was still around.
Every citizen has a role to play to keep Ghana clean and more worth touring,the fight is not only for ZoomLion or any other waste management company,but that of every well meaning Ghanaian who have the nation at a heart.
Individuals are to take personal hygiene seriously,teaching their wards how to wash their hands and other educative teachings on personal hygyiene.
Enforcement of waste management laws should be tightened,sanitation inspectors should be plenty to help monitor residents.
We have KEEP THE CITY CLEAN inscriptions almost on all cans and foods we buy,but we forgo the caution and litter around.
The first President of Ghana,H.E Dr.Kwame Nkrumah said WE SHOULD CHANGE OUR ATTITUDES and it was seconded by the late vice Presdent H.E Alhaji Aliu Mahama,who went the extra mile to sponsor a KEEP THE CITY CLEAN CAMPAIGN!!!
EMMANUEL AGYENFRA BOATENG(FREELANCE JOURNALIST).
