National Sanitation Day takes off tomorrow
The first-ever National Sanitation Day will be observed countrywide tomorrow, November 1, 2014. The exercise, which is to be repeated on the first Saturday of every month, is expected to be a wake-up call on Ghanaians to keep their surroundings clean and rekindle the spirit of communal labour.
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On the day, the public would be required to carry out the clean-up in homes, schools, other public places and the larger community. The clean-ups would begin from six in the morning till 11am.
The national sanitation day was initiated by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) and is aimed at encouraging Ghanaians to observe environmental cleanliness as a means of reducing the incidents of diseases such as cholera that occur as a result of dirty surroundings.
There will be no restriction on vehicular movement in any part of the country, but every citizen, including drivers, are required to engage in the exercise and continue with their daily activities afterwards.
The National Sanitation Day, was launched two weeks ago by the Vice-President, Mr Paa Kwesi Amissah Arthur, and it is expected that he and other government officials will participate in the activities tomorrow.
The exercise
To ensure a smooth roll-out of the activities, the populace has been put into four groups- all females, all males, people living in areas where there are various sanitation challenges, and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the various assemblies and captains of industry.
The first group are expected to sweep and clean surroundings in their communities and clear gutters of silt. The second group is to visit schools and engage with teachers and pupils and join them in cleaning the schools.
Those who live in areas that have challenges with sanitation are to concentrate their efforts on the problems in their communities.
The last group of people have the duty to ensure that all the refuse generated is gathered neatly and evacuated by Tuesday, next week.
Preparations so far
Briefing the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday, the sector Minister, Mr Julius Debrah, said adequate preparations had been put in place to ensure that the programme would become a successful and unforgettable one.
He indicated that banners had been put at vantage points across the country to draw people’s attention to the programme.
Besides, he said, the ministry had secured airtime on a number of radio and television stations across the country to inform and educate the public on the exercise.
Beating of gong-gong
He said tomorrow, chiefs in various communities would have gong-gong beaten to mobilise the community members for the cleanup. He said the act of gong-gong beating was only a symbolic exercise reminiscent of what was done in the olden days.
According to him, he had elicited the support of various bodies and individuals, including the clergy, chiefs, Imams and CEOs to impress upon their people to actively participate in the programme.
Meanwhile, Daily Graphic correspondents in Kumasi say the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, is leading traditional rulers in the Ashanti Region to work alongside other leaders including the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Sarpong, on the maiden edition of the National Sanitation Day.
The Asantehene, who endorsed the exercise two weeks ago when the Minister of Local Government and his team called on him, urged all, irrespective of political affiliation, to clear the country of filth.
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Sarpong, who announced a series of measures being put in place to make the maiden edition of the exercise a success, confirmed Asantehene’s participation, on the sidelines of a press conference yesterday.
The Ashanti Regional Cordinating Council and the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) have been called upon to enforce the byelaws to the letter. That means that those who would flout the law by not participating in the exercise would be arraigned for prosecution.
The various Municipal and District Chief Executives were locked up in a meeting at the time of filing this report to discuss how to track those who would want to stampede the process.
Trucks, collecting bins, shovels and other equipment needed for the exercise have been secured by the various assemblies as some owners of heavy duty trucks have agreed to put their fleets at the disposal of the assemblies to help make the exercise a success.
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