Major clean-up campaign begins
The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development is to embark on a major clean-up campaign immediately.
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This follows a directive by President John Dramani Mahama to the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Julius Debrah, to undertake the exercise.
The recent outbreak of cholera in parts of Accra has been linked to the deteriorating waste management and sanitation situation in the capital.
A statement issued in Accra yesterday said Accra and its environs had seen a growing number of refuse dump sites at many street corners, posing a health threat to several communities.
It said to ensure the success of the campaign, the Vice-President, Mr Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, would visit various dump sites.
According to the release, the Vice-President was scheduled to visit the Agbogbloshie, ICGC and Kokomlemle dump sites immediately.
It said the clean-up exercise would be undertaken by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and cover 18 dump sites.
The closure of the only landfill site in Accra a couple of months ago had led to indiscriminate dumping of waste which has created ideal conditions for the spread of cholera.
The situation is said to have been compounded by continuous rainfall in recent times.
At La alone, 197 people reported sick for cholera, six of which were reported to have died.
“We are determined to prevent the cholera outbreak from spreading and will do so by ensuring that those responsible for waste collection and disposal do their job.” the statement said.
Responding to the President’s directive, the release said Mr Debrah indicated the ministry’s intention to initiate a communications campaign to induce attitudinal change on the part of the citizenry.
“Our efforts at resolving this challenge will not gain much attention without the involvement of the people. We will use communications to educate them on the right thing and constant reminders will affect their behaviour,” he said.