Fumigation of June 3 flood areas underway in Accra
A fumigation exercise is being carried out in all the areas affected by the June 3 floods in Accra to prevent the spread of cholera, malaria and other diseases.
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The exercise is being carried out by the Vector Control Unit of Zoomlion, in collaboration with the Metro Health Department of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA).
The 200 people engaged in the exercise are spraying drains, dump sites, public places of convenience and selected structures and houses in the affected areas.
The Goil fuel station and nearby buildings that were burnt down by the June 3 fire, the Odaw drain, Avenor, Adabraka, Agbogboloshie, Alajo and Korle Bu are the main target areas.
WHO criteria
Briefing the Daily Graphic on the fumigation exercise yesterday, the Head of the Greater Accra Regional Vector Control Unit of Zoomlion, Mr Abel Djangmah, said the fumigation exercise began a day after the June 3 floods in Accra.
He said also that the unit intensified the exercise, following reported cases of cholera in some parts of Accra, including Odawna.
“Now everybody, including our accountants, are engaged in the spraying exercise,” he said.
Mr Djangmah added that the unit used recommended chemicals in line with the World Health Organisation (WHO) criteria for such fumigation exercise and stressed that “the chemicals are safe”.
“We are fumigating the whole sub-metros under the AMA. The aim is to prevent any possible disease outbreak following the floods,” he said.
Change attitude
Mr Djangmah said the flooding and the diseases that resulted from it were due to the dumping of refuse into drains.
He indicated that the flooding created more water sources which served as breeding grounds for mosquitoes, while the continued defecation by some members of the public in drains and open spaces contributed to the spread of cholera and other diseases.
He, therefore, urged people to desist from dumping refuse in drains and defecating in open spaces.
Mr Djangmah also asked the public to bring out refuse generated as a result of the floods for fumigation and collection.
