EPA, Zoomlion clean beaches with residents of Elmina

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), some hoteliers, and residents of Elmina have embarked on a clean-up exercise to rid the beaches of filth to mark this year's World Environment Day.

In partnership with Zoomlion Ghana, the groups undertook a three-hour exercise cleaning and weeding the beaches.

The clean-up exercise targeted three communities, which included Anlo, Mbofra Akyinim and Bantuma, all in Elmina communities.

Residents were joined by various stakeholders including personnel from the Municipal Environmental Health Department and the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem Municipal Assembly.

The clean-up exercise was carried out along the shores of Elmina, purposely because the place was where most of their hospitality facilities were located.

The Central Regional Director of the EPA, Shine Fiagome, said each year over 400 million tonnes of plastics were produced and 14 million ended up in the sea, adding that this was causing a lot of problems to marine life and the ecosystem.

He said it was important to make the communities aware of the negative effects of plastics on the environment and encouraged them to adopt more responsible attitudes towards the environment.

Mr Fiagome also expressed concern about the inadequate refuse collection containers and urged the assembly to provide the communities with adequate refuse containers.

Public awareness

The KEEA Municipal Environmental Officer, Alvin Mensah Robertson, added that the assembly had embarked on public awareness to help change environmental habits and ensure a cleaner environment.

He advised the communities to ensure refuse was disposed of at the appropriate places to reduce environment pollution and the spread of diseases.

He assured that the municipal assembly would distribute refuse bins along the beaches to ensure protection of the environment. 

The Chief Executive Officer of the Elmina Bay Resort and Past Chairman of the Ghana Hotels Association, Ben Kweku Idun, called for urgent actions by the communities' leadership to seriously campaign against environmental pollution and for education on law and regulations to guide behaviour.

The Chief of Mbofra Akyinim, Nana Kwamina Eku IV, acknowledged the effort of EPA and Zoomlion Ghana Limited for assisting the community with the clean-up exercise but appealed for dustbins and refuse containers to be put at vantage points in the communities.