Ejisu-Juaben Municipal Assembly improves sanitation conditions

The Ejisu-Juaben Municipal Assembly is one institution in the Ashanti Region which is succeeding in the fight against unsanitary conditions.

Until recently, the assembly had had it tough dealing with poor sanitation conditions in Ejisu, the municipal capital, and a number of other communities.

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Kwaku Afrifa Yamoah-Ponkoh, in line with his motto of “Zero tolerance for filth,” has spearheaded a dramatic change in the municipality.

In an interview with the Daily Graphic in his office at Ejisu, Mr Yamoah-Ponkoh said the assembly had evacuated about 95 per cent of refuse dumps at Ejisu, Fumesua, Kokoobra, Kyerekrom, Ekyem, Krapa, Juaben and Essienimpong.

He said the assembly had secured four tipper trucks to cart refuse and, in collaboration with Zoomlion Ghana Limited, had placed waste bins at vantage points.

He said he was hopeful that the assembly would be able to deal with the remaining five per cent of refuse left to be cleared in New Koforidua, Besease, Jamasi and Bomfa, near Akyawkrom, by the end of the year. 

The MCE commended Zoomlion for being of immense assistance to the assembly in its special sanitation initiatives.

“Zoomlion deserves commendation for operating door-to-door services in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality,” he said.

Management of liquid waste

The MCE said though the assembly had no site for the final disposal of liquid waste, through the collaborative efforts of Zoomlion, it had been successful in removing septic tanks in many households.

The impact of this, he said, was the low or zero record of diarrhoea cholera, and some communicable diseases.

He said though a final site for liquid waste disposal had been a major challenge, the assembly was doing all it could to improve the living conditions of the people as far as liquid waste was concerned.

Water situation

He said the assembly had put in place small water systems throughout the various communities to improve upon the water situation in the area.

He said the assembly and the Sanitation Board under the Government of Ghana (GoG) had provided water for many households.

He recalled that since 2011, not less than 100 boreholes or water systems had been provided for the people.

Above all, the assembly has collaborated with a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in the United States, Safe Water, to provide a waste system at Atia close to Boakra, which has been serving about eight different communities and beyond, a water system which is first of its kind.

What gives the sanitation condition of the assembly an impetus is that it has succeeded in clearing an Afajato-type refuse both at Krapa and Kokoobra which have been evacuated to a final disposal site.

The assembly, he said, had built a sanitation villages at Krapa and Kokoobra, with modern toilet facilities, washrooms, well-fenced gardens and mechanised boreholes with reservoirs.

Mr Yamoah-Ponkoh said with the improved sanitation situation in the municipality, a number of schoolchildren could have access to potable water and wash their hands effectively.

He further indicated that sanitation guards had been reshuffled in the municipality to ensure efficiency in their work.

He, however, advised the people to take a cue from the improved sanitation conditions and adhere to the laws, particularly bye-laws on sanitation for the betterment of all.