Greater Accra Region to hold clean up exercises on weekly bases

Accra, April 3, GNA - Nii Armah Ashietey, Greater Accra Regional Minister has called for a weekly organisation of clean-up exercises throughout the Region.

This, he said would help cleanse the region of its filth and also stem the outbreak of the cholera.

Nii Ashietey who was speaking during a clean up exercise organised by the Greater Accra Regional Security Council (REGSEC) in collaboration with Zoomlion Ghana and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), expressed his disappointment about the way the city was overwhelmed with filth.

He noted with concern the fast rate at which people were turning drains in the city into waste dump sites and called for the stiffer punishments for those who go contrary to the byelaws governing the city.

He urged Ghanaians to be conscious of their personal hygiene as it was one of the best means of stemming the cholera outbreak. Nii Ashietey, who visited the scrap dealers at Agbogbloshie, expressed his disappointment about the unwillingness on the part of the scrap dealers to take part in the exercise as their site was surrounded in filth.

"Agbogbloshie is also one of the communities where the cholera cases have been reported," he noted.

He urged the scrap dealers to keep their workplace clean and to avoid dumping liquid waste into the Korle lagoon as government spends million of cedis in dredging it.

Mr Ernest Aseidu Ceasar, Communications officer, Zoomlion Ghana, said his outfit in collaboration with the AMA had initiated a programme aimed at preventing people from littering the streets of Accra.

He expressed the willingness of Zoomlion Ghana to assist any community or association which wanted to organise clean up exercises with the necessary logistics. Some of the places visited by the Regional Minister as part of the clean up exercise included Odawna, La, Agbogbloshie and Osu. 3 April 11