MMDCEs to be queried for non-enforcement of sanitation bye laws

The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development will query Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executive (MMDCE) who fails to furnish the ministry with evidence of action taken against sanitation offenders within the next two months.

Mr Julius Debrah, the sector minister says he has observed that MMDCEs are not enforcing the sanitation bye laws and warned that the ministry is not going to take the issue lightly.

The Minister gave the warning during an interaction with the media at Elmina on Friday when he joined the Central Regional Minister, Mr Aquainas Tawiah Quansah and some officials from the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem (KEEA) Municipal Assembly to tour some Centre’s of the ongoing Limited Voters Registration Exercise in the Municipality.

During the visit, the team came into contact with the reality of the declining sanitation situation in the municipality especially at the Sesam Ahenfie Registration Centre in Komenda, where a huge dumping site had virtually taken over the sea shore yet brisk fishing activities was ongoing.

Also at the Elmina Zongo, the refuse dumping site was overflowing with garbage.

“You cannot tell me that you have a whole assembly and for two years no one has been prosecuted or even been arraigned…for a sanitation offence that exist in the books.”

Mr Debrah observed that Ghanaians underestimate the need to evacuate the tons of waste in their communities and was disappointed with the sanitation situation.

He announced that the ministry is embarking on an educational programme starting next week to create public awareness, and is going to ensure that sanitation laws are enforced.

Mr Debrah indicated that Government’s efforts would not be enough until people change their attitude towards sanitation.

Mr Quansah noted that the sanitation condition as well as street lighting in the KEEA municipality and the region is nothing to write home about and asked the ministry to assist the assemblies to reverse the situation.

Vice President Kwesi Bekoe Amissah Arthur on Monday led a clean-up exercise at some dumping sites in Accra as part of efforts to sanitise the metropolis which had been engulfed with filth.

The deteriorating waste management and sanitation situation in the Accra metropolis has been identified as the cause of the current outbreak of cholera.