Assemblies must enforce bye-laws

THE MIRROR Sep - 19 - 2014 , 11:18

The outbreak of cholera in all parts of the country, which has rendered many health institutions spilling over with the sick, especially in Accra, calls for concerted efforts on the part of all to push the canker out of our system.

The information gathered to the effect that cholera can be contracted by ingesting trace amounts of faeces, either in food or drink, is an indictment on our local governance system.

The metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) should bow down their heads in shame for failing the people.

As the authorities on the ground in charge of ensuring cleanliness in our communities, diligence in keeping the environment clean should be a matter of priority. The rate at which the disease is spreading fast shows that there is something wrong with our environment.

The greatest concern is over our sources of water. In this country, we simply have no regard for water bodies. We dump refuse and excreta into them and do not care what happens next, forgetting that the water bodies that we are violating are the sources from which we drink.

Now we are reaping the consequences of our actions.

A typical example of a water body that has been violated in many ways imaginable is the Densu River, which is the source of drinking water for a large percentage of people in parts of the Eastern and the Greater Accra regions.

This water body suffers untold assault all the way from Koforidua through to Nsawam on its way to Accra. In large areas along its course, people throw refuse and defecate into it.

I remember that around 2000/2001, the New Juaben Municipal Assembly and then Nsawam-Adoagyiri District Assembly embarked on an exercise along the course of the river to dissuade people living along its banks from defiling it.

The assemblies also embarked on a tree planting exercise to shield the river from excessive heat from the sun which was drying it up.

That is how come there is extensive foliage along the river at Akwadum in the New Juaben municipality and at the Adoagyiri end of the major bridge in Nsawam.

All assemblies must consider it a priority to protect our rivers and water bodies. Besides serving as sources of drinking water, they also contribute to the country’s tourism assets and are a source of aesthetic beauty.

I would still encourage the Accra Metropolitan Assembly not to give up on the Korle Lagoon restoration project. Not many capital cities in the world have water bodies cutting through them at some point. It is a marvel to see what other countries with such natural beauty have done with theirs.

Our neighbour Nigeria has one that has been well kept. Togo has one too. Besides tourists going on a boat ride to take in the beauty of the city, it also serves to link travellers from one part to another.

The weakness in our local governance system lies in the inability of the assemblies to enforce their bye-laws. All the assemblies have good bye-laws which, if enforced, will bring about harmony between the people and the environment.

Last Tuesday, September 16, the Daily Graphic reported on the sanitation situation in a community in Accra called Glefe. It was not the first time that the paper had reported on the terrible insanitary conditions in that community.

By now I expected the AMA to have led a massive clean up of the community, since leaving the exercise in the hands of the people would not achieve results. Up till now there have been no results because the people are leaderless. The assembly man alone cannot tackle the prevailing situation as it is too overwhelming.

It is no wonder, therefore, that quite a number of patients with cholera at the Mamprobi Polyclinic in Accra are from Glefe. Is it not possible for the AMA to close down that community and resettle the people elsewhere? Living conditions in that community are so bad that the people are calling for a massive intervention before something catastrophic happens.

Gradually, populated areas in the country, be they rural or urban, are getting dirtier by the day. While this is a matter for the various assemblies, the government must also get involved, since the buck stops at its door.

If the Vice-President’s ultimatum to the AMA to have the city of Accra cleared of refuse achieved results, then I think a broad involvement by the government in the fight against filth will also achieve success.

We must act now and quickly to put our house in order. We are grappling now with cholera and must not wait for the outbreak of any other disease to worsen the situation for us. The cholera outbreak may only be a sign to warn us to put things right.

As you are aware, I did not mention Ebola because I dread even the thought of it with us here in Ghana. Let’s stay clean and healthy always.