NCCE begins environmental campaign in Shama

Shama Junction (W/R), May 5, GNA - Mr Paul Nkoah, Shama Ahanta East Metropolitan Director of National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has said that poor environmental conditions, coupled with apathy by several communities has been a major drawback to development in some communities within the metropolis.

He said such habits apart from influencing outbreak of cholera, and other communicable diseases, could also result in poor economic outputs among the citizenry.

Mr Nkoah said this at an environmental sensitisation programme organised by the NCCE as part of activities marking the fourth national constitutional week celebrations, which was on the theme: "National Integration through tolerance'.

He said though some assembly member's organised periodic clean-up campaigns, the response from many people within the community was not encouraging and stressed that the country's development agenda could not be achieved if the people were not healthy.

Mr Nkoah charged the people to make environmental cleanliness part of their daily routine and avoid indiscriminate disposal of waste into drains, rivers, streams and lagoons.

Mr Larry Oppong Ankomah, Metropolitan Research Officer of the NCCE, said research had revealed that Shama and its environs were the dirtiest in the metropolis and called on the residents to change their negative attitudes toward sanitation.

Mr Emmanuel Cudjoe, NCCE officer in-charge of Shama sub-metropolitan area, said the exercise was to inculcate in the people a sense of cleanliness.

"A sound mind lives in a sound body and as such all efforts must be made to ensure that our surroundings are clean," he said. Mr Cudjoe expressed regret that the environmental practices of the communities were very poor and cautioned that any further neglect could lead to the outbreak of diseases.

Mr George Brookman-Arthur, assemblyman for the area, said the Shama community was apathetic to communal labour and has therefore been thwarting his efforts to organise the people to improve on sanitation.

"They always refuse to attend community meetings and even the few who do, only come expecting to receive some financial rewards from me," he said and appealed to stakeholders to support the community to intensify its campaign for environmental sanitation, cleanliness and the proper disposal of waste.