Our lawlessness will destroy the nation

It is barely a week since the country marked the June 3, 2015 twin disaster of floods and fire that claimed more than 150 lives and left others incapacitated.

At a solemn ceremony to mark the event at the venue of the fire disaster, the common refrain of most speakers was: “Never again”. Everyone vowed to champion activities that would prevent Ghana from experiencing that painful loss of citizens through floods and fire again.

However, the devastation caused by last Thursday’s rains suggests that the “Never again” mantra was just mere rhetoric.

About three hours of slight-to-moderate rain in Accra again exposed the insanitary conditions in the capital city. Many parts of Accra got seriously flooded again, and found floating on the flood waters was litter, mostly made up of plastic waste that had been carelessly disposed of.

The Daily Graphic has, time without number, pointed to the poor hygienic and sanitation habits of the public as the major cause of floods in Accra and the major cities when it rains, but these still persist, in spite of the stark reminder that June 3 presents.

Many have turned the open drains in their vicinities into dumping sites, while some people dump refuse in the drains at the slightest sign of rain, with the thinking that it would be washed away.

The flooding that occurred last Thursday should serve as a wake-up call to city authorities, as well as the public, that, indeed, June 3 cannot just be wished away but would only be sent away with the implementation of sanitation bye-laws and adherence to basic sanitation and hygiene principles.

We believe that this is the time for the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and the other metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) to do less talk and more action to rid our cities of filth and the resultant floods when it rains.

While we do not fault the AMA especially and other city authorities for trumpeting what they have been able to do since June 3, 2015, the events of yesterday must send a clear signal that the conditions that brought about the fatal twin disaster last year still persist.

The Daily Graphic believes that the only way the insanitary conditions in the country could be made a thing of the past is to enforce all the sanitation bye-laws.

People who flout the bye-laws must be dealt with according to the laws. They must face severe sanctions to serve as a deterrent to others.

We can no longer look on unconcerned, as we all suffer the intransigence of others. Those who litter must be punished, pure and simple, else we would all be contributing to the destruction of the country.

Yes, some little work has been done by way of de-silting and dredging some major drains such as the Odaw and the Korle Lagoon in Accra, but if our poor attitude towards the environment continues, all the efforts will be like fetching water with a basket or pouring water on a stone and expecting it to germinate – it will come to nothing.

We urge the AMA and all the MMDAs to start applying the stick to whip everyone in line so far as keeping our environment clean is concerned.

Let us also employ more sanitary inspectors to ensure the bye-laws are not flouted. We should also step up the campaign for attitudinal change and discipline in our society.