Kpando assembly forms environmental discipline task force

The Kpando Municipal Assembly will, henceforth, deal swiftly and ruthlessly with any unruly individual who drops litter on the streets and neighbourhoods, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Killian Donkor, has warned.

Pursuant to that, he said a 20-member task force has been recruited to enforce what he called “environmental discipline” in the municipality and prosecute the offenders without delay.

The MCE said those who cut trees without any tangible reason would also suffer similar consequences.

He sounded the caution last Thursday during tree planting exercises in various basic and senior high schools in the municipality, as part of activities to mark the 2025 World Environment Day in the Volta Region.

The exercises were jointly undertaken by officials of the assembly and Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), workers of the Zoomlion waste management group and students.

The celebration was on the theme: “Rethink plastic pollution. ‘ACT’ now.”

Mr Donkor, who joined traders to clean up the Kpando market earlier in the day, said the assembly was pursuing sterling plans to make the municipality the destination of choice for tourists and businesses from far and near, adding that the objective could not be achieved without a high standard of cleanliness.

“Therefore, we will not tolerate acts of gross disrespect for the environment,” he maintained.

Crusade

The MCE entreated churches, schools, households, students and patriotic individuals to join the crusade to keep the municipality clean all the time, for many good development tidings to follow.

Killian Donkor, Kpando MCE

The Regional Director of the EPA, Maxwell Zu-Cudjoe, said the drains in the municipality were clogged and needed to be cleared to avoid health hazards.

He gave an assurance that the EPA would work in collaboration with the assembly to ensure the environment was kept clean, and prosecute those who flouted environmental laws.

Mr Zu-Cudjoe cautioned the residents against putting up buildings in wetlands to avoid floods and disasters.

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Kpando, Sebastian Deh, said the choice of Kpando as the venue for the commemoration testified to the importance the assembly placed on the environment.

Plastic pollution

He said in a speech read on his behalf that plastic pollution was harming farmlands in the area, destroying rivers such as Dayi and Aflabo, and creating unsightly scenes in the communities, as well as lakefronts, including the Kpando Tokor Boat Landing Beach.

Mr Deh pledged his support for the assembly’s efforts to uphold good sanitation in the municipality without compromise, and promote recycling and waste management.

“Clean communities across our constituency will be a worthy legacy for the future generation,” the MP maintained.

Mr Deh said there was also the need to invest in infrastructure and equipment that improve and reduce landfill waste.

The Dufia of Kpando-Agudzi, Togbi VIII, who was the chairman for the commemoration, said the traditional authorities of Kpando were highly pleased with the assembly’s campaign to promote a clean environment and pledged that the traditional authorities would vigorously support that objective to ensure it succeeded.

In all, the EPA distributed 1,000 tree seedlings to the various schools and institutions to plant and nurture on their compounds.

The seedlings included teak, ofram, acacia, nolotica and mahogany.