Don’t dump saw dust, waste products into drains - KMA cautions woodworkers

Woodworkers at the Sokoban Wood Village have been told to desist from the haphazard dumping of waste products from the lumber used in their work.

Mr. Isaac Bassanyin, Kumasi Metropolitan Environmental Health and Sanitation Director, advised that by-products such as sawdust should not be thrown into the drainage system and other unauthorized places.

The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) would deal ruthlessly with any woodworker caught throwing sawdust into the drains because such unhealthy practices posed serious environmental challenges, he cautioned.

Mr. Bassanyin, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), on the sidelines of a clean-up exercise at the wood enclave at Sokoban, said the woodworkers were expected to adhere to the environmental-sanitation bye-laws pertaining to their work.

The exercise, organized under the supervision of the KMA, was to ensure that workers at the enclave operated in a clean and sound environment to keep the place in good condition at all times.

The Environmental Health and Sanitation Director observed that the woodworkers and allied workers at the Village, such as food sellers, should not engage in practices that had the tendency to cause flooding and communicable diseases.

He advised the workers to always wear their protective gears while working, because the continuous inhaling of the sawdust could have adverse effects on their health.

Mr. James Prempeh, Convener for the Environmental-Sanitation sub-Committee, KMA, assured that the Assembly was committed to ensuring proper maintenance of the Village.

He warned the workers that the Assembly would not hesitate to apply the law in dealing with those who used the road as storage grounds for their lumbers since that practice tends to create confusion at the Village.

“Those engaged in that practice have been given up to June 1, 2021, to clear the nuisance,” he stated.

Mr Abubakar Halifa, Coordinator at the Sokoban Wood Village, appealed to the government to fix the main road leading to the enclave to enhance their activities.

He also appealed to the KMA to beef up the security system at the Village for the safety of the woodworkers.