The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Asokore-Mampong, Mr Ben Abdullah Alhassan, has urged residents to move beyond periodic clean-up exercises and embrace sustainable environmental sanitation practices as a daily responsibility.
He said the government’s declaration of national sanitation exercises was not intended to restrict cleanliness to specific days but rather to serve as a reminder of the need for continuous environmental care.
Addressing residents at Aboabo Station during the second day of the nationwide clean-up exercise, Mr Alhassan stressed that maintaining a clean environment was essential to protecting public health and improving living conditions within communities.
He commended residents who participated in the exercise, describing their involvement as a demonstration of commitment towards creating a healthier municipality.
According to him, a clean environment contributes to disease prevention, enhances economic activities and improves the overall quality of life of residents.
Mr Alhassan attributed recurring flooding in some parts of the country partly to poor waste disposal practices, explaining that refuse dumped into gutters and drains obstructs the movement of stormwater and contributes to flooding.
He also cautioned against the indiscriminate burning of waste, noting that the practice affects air quality and exposes residents to health problems, including respiratory challenges and skin-related conditions.
The MCE encouraged residents to become sanitation ambassadors by monitoring their communities and reporting individuals who deliberately violate sanitation regulations.
He insisted that sanitation enforcement should involve everyone and called on residents not to protect offenders whose actions threaten public health.
Mr Alhassan further called on community leaders, religious organisations, youth groups and residents to work together to organise regular clean-up exercises, stressing that government alone could not maintain a clean environment without public cooperation.
He urged communities to ensure that drains were regularly cleared, walkways kept clean, refuse bins properly used and waste disposed of only at approved locations.
The MCE warned that residents who fail to participate in future sanitation exercises would face appropriate sanctions, adding that persistent disregard for sanitation regulations would no longer be tolerated.
He said the municipality was committed to strengthening environmental sanitation efforts to create safer and healthier communities for all residents.
