Obuasi MCE Defies Rain To Lead Major Sanitation Exercise
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Obuasi, Hon. Faustilove Appiah Kannin, demonstrated her commitment to environmental cleanliness by braving an early morning downpour to lead residents in a massive clean-up exercise as part of the National Sanitation Day activities.
The exercise brought together traders, Assembly Members, staff of the Obuasi Municipal Assembly, Environmental Health Officers and community members who joined forces to clean major sections of the municipality’s Central Business District (CBD).
Although the rains briefly disrupted the exercise, participants quickly resumed work after the downpour, clearing drains, streets and public spaces of accumulated waste and debris.
The clean-up operation covered key areas from Santiago through Jemima to Horsey Park, where sanitation teams embarked on an extensive clean-up campaign aimed at improving environmental conditions and reducing the risk of flooding.
With support from equipment under the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP), several choked drains were desilted to ensure the free flow of water during the rainy season. Truckloads of refuse collected during the exercise were later transported to the designated landfill site for disposal.
Speaking after the exercise, Hon. Faustilove Appiah Kannin expressed concern over the persistent poor sanitation practices within the municipality despite ongoing public education campaigns and regular clean-up exercises.
She announced that the Assembly would soon intensify the enforcement of sanitation by-laws to deal decisively with individuals who engage in indiscriminate dumping of refuse and other sanitation-related offences.
According to the MCE, a dedicated task force will be established to monitor sanitation activities across the municipality and ensure that offenders are arrested and prosecuted.
“We cannot continue to spend resources cleaning the city while some individuals deliberately make the environment dirty. Going forward, offenders will be dealt with according to the law,” she stated.
As part of long-term measures to improve sanitation and environmental management, the MCE disclosed plans by the Assembly to install Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras at strategic locations within the Central Business District.
She explained that the surveillance system would help identify individuals who litter public places or dump refuse indiscriminately, adding that anyone captured violating sanitation regulations would face the full rigours of the law.
Hon. Faustilove Appiah Kannin also revealed that additional waste bins would soon be placed at strategic locations across the municipality to encourage proper waste disposal and improve overall cleanliness.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Environmental Health Department of the Obuasi Municipal Assembly, Mr. Evans Kumi, and his team have summoned a number of traders who failed to participate in the clean-up exercise.
The move, according to the Assembly, forms part of efforts to ensure active community participation in sanitation programmes and promote collective responsibility in keeping the municipality clean.
The Obuasi Municipal Assembly has reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining regular clean-up exercises and strengthening enforcement measures as it works towards making Obuasi one of the cleanest municipalities in Ghana.
Story By Ernest Kofi Offen
Municipal Information Officer
ISD, Obuasi
