Massive clean-up in Sekondi Takoradi
A five - hour general clean-up exercise to mark Ghana’s 57th Independence Day celebration has been carried out in Sekondi Takoradi in the Western Region.
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The exercise, which started from 6 a.m. to about 11 a.m. , was led by the Western Regional Minister, Mr. E. K. T. Addo, and his deputy, Alfred Ekow Gyan, to rekindle the spirit of communal labour, while promoting hygienic living conditions, as well as remembering the day of Ghana’s independence.
Zoomlion, a waste management company, supported the clean-up with men, tools and heavy equipment. The exercise brought about an increased situation of static private and commercial vehicles in the metropolis.
Communities and market centres
The various communities and markets in Takoradi, Sekondi, Kwesimintsim and other parts of the metropolis also benefitted from the exercise.
At the Takoradi Central Market (Market Circle), Zoomlion, with support from the Ghana National Fire Service, flushed out the silt after the debris was removed.
Zoomlion evacuated the mountains of waste from the various households within the sub-metro, as well as the waste from trading activities in the market.
Large deposits of sand around street corners and in gutters, which had silted the openings of gutters, preventing rainwater from flowing easily after rains, were also cleared.
At the Sekondi Market, even though the equipment arrived late, soldiers from the Navy, Army and Air Force were at hand to support the exercise.
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Choked gutters, which made it difficult for the free flow of liquid waste in and around the market, were cleared with the support of some members of the communities who freely joined in the clean-up exercise.
Residents were happy with the de-silting of the gutters, since stagnant waste water posed environmental health challenges as the floodwater from the gutters flowed into people’s homes.
Contributions of Zoomlion
The Western Regional Manager of Zoomlion, Mr Stephen Gyekye-Darko, led his team to immediately evacuate whatever waste was gathered.
“The fear of most people is that when such clean-up exercises end, the waste gathered are always left at the shoulders of the gutters, but as we speak, our men are moving the waste to communal containers,” he said.
Mr Gyekye-Darko said his outfit’s effort was to complement the efforts of the city authorities to ensure a clean Sekondi/Takoradi for the celebration of the day and beyond.”
The regional minster
Speaking to the media during the exercise, the regional minster said the essence of the clean-up was to rejuvenate the sense of communal labor which had been abandoned by Ghanaians.
To prevent flooding this year, the minister told the media that plans were underway to clear all the choked gutters before the rainy season.
He praised the general public, prisoners, market women, waste management companies and the various security agencies for their enthusiastic support for the exercise, and urged them to maintain hygienic standards of living in their respective homes.