The New Juaben South Municipal Assembly has cautioned residents and shop owners against engaging drug addicts and mentally ill persons to collect and dispose of waste, warning that the practice is contributing to indiscriminate dumping and worsening sanitation challenges within the municipality.
The warning was issued during the municipality’s observance of the nationwide monthly National Clean-Up Exercise on Friday.
Personnel from the security services, government institutions, the Ghana Health Service and residents joined the exercise, clearing choked drains, sweeping streets and removing refuse from public spaces across the municipality.
The New Juaben South Municipal Environmental Health Officer, Emmanuel Tetteh, expressed concern over the growing practice of hiring drug addicts and mentally ill persons to transport refuse for a fee.
According to him, many of these individuals fail to dispose of the waste at approved dumping sites, choosing instead to dump it into drains, streets and open spaces, creating serious environmental and public health risks.
He urged residents, landlords and shop owners to use only authorised waste collectors to ensure refuse is properly managed and to support the Assembly’s efforts to keep the municipality clean.
Municipal Chief Executive, Ransford Owusu Boakye, described the clean-up exercise as successful, commending the participation of residents and institutions.
He also addressed public concerns over recent delays in waste collection, explaining that continuous rainfall had made it difficult for waste collection trucks to access the municipality’s final disposal site along the Akwadum Road.
The situation, he said, resulted in temporary refuse accumulation in some communities, but assured residents that the Assembly was implementing measures to restore normal waste collection services.
The Eastern Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Damien Punguyire, said a significant proportion of illnesses treated at health facilities are linked to poor environmental sanitation.
He therefore urged residents to maintain clean surroundings and actively participate in community clean-up exercises to reduce the spread of preventable diseases.
The National Clean-Up Exercise forms part of the government’s renewed commitment to improving environmental sanitation and encouraging citizens to take greater responsibility for keeping their communities clean.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
