Assemblyman decries poor sanitation and indiscriminate bush burning

Navrongo, (UER), Nov. 17, GNA - Mr Braimah Sanjage, an Assembly Member for the Namolo/Saboro electoral area in the Kassena Nankana District has indicated that poverty, would continue to rock Ghanaians if they do not change their attitude towards perennial bush burning in their communities.

He has therefore, called on chiefs and other traditional rulers to institute measures to punish perpetrators, whose activities would result in bush burning that degrades the environment to serve as deterrent to others to stop the habit.

Mr Sanjage expressed the concern when he addressed members of the Namolo and Saboro communities during the electoral celebration of this year's sanitation week in Navrongo.

He said the three Northern regions were the poorest yet the people were always engaged in indiscriminate bush burning, which degrades the very land they depended on and called on the government to have the political will to enforce a law that would compel people to protect the environment.

The Assemblyman said this can be done if monetary compensation would be given to anyone who would arrest anybody who would engage in any act that would or could cause bush-burning and also motivate the fire volunteers to be more vigilant towards the anti-bush burning campaign. He said the sanitation situation in the whole of Navrongo was very appalling and called on the assembly to ensure that, sanitary inspectors went round to educate the people on the need to keep their environment clean.

Mr Sanjage also decried the absence of community clinics in the rural areas to ensure that their health was secured and has therefore, called on the government through the Assembly to institute measures to equip the communities with clinics and sanitary facilities. He advised the people to contribute towards the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), which is to take off later this month so that they would be taken care of when they become sick.