25 Arrested for dumping refuse on highway
Twenty-five people have been arrested by the sanitation task force of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) for dumping refuse on the George Walker Bush Highway (N1).
The task force last Monday arrested 21 people with an additional four on Wednesday.
Fifteen were, however, freed by the Sanitation and Motor Court of the Okaikoe-North District in Accra after they were made to pay a fine of GH¢720 each.
Meanwhile, the court, presided over by Ms Victoria Ghansah, remanded the rest into custody for not being able to pay the fine.
They will be made to serve a jail term of six months each if they are unable to pay the amount.
Prosecution
Prosecuting, Ms Delight Dzansi of the Metro Public Health Department of the AMA said the task force arrested the suspects at the crack of dawn last Monday and Wednesday.
She said they were caught disposing refuse on the N1 Highway along the Lapaz, Achimota, Abofu, Mantseman, Akweteyman sections.
Their act, she stated, was in contravention of the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851), section 56 A and B.
Ms Dzansi explained that the suspects were caught dumping rubbish they had brought from their abodes onto the road where there was already a heap of rubbish.
Further arrests
Briefing The Mirror, the Okaikoi-North District Environmental Health Officer, Mrs Josephine Gawu De-Salom, said the four arrested on Wednesday would be processed for court as soon as possible.
“We want the public to know that we are up to the task even though we will continue with the education.
“The public should be mindful of the various laws governing environmental pollution because we will continue to embark on similar actions at anytime of the day,” she said.
In addition to that, Mrs De-Salom stated that the sub-metro was also trying to implement the polluter-pay policy so that every individual would be responsible for the rubbish they generated.
“So every household is supposed to pay to accredited waste disposal companies to be lifting their rubbish bins for them as that will make the city clean,” she explained.
Challenges
Mrs De-Salom emphasised that the sub-metro was challenged with logistics to be able to carry out its roles as environmental health officers effectively and efficiently.