The Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Samuel Tetteh Kwashie Morton, has renewed calls for strict adherence to sanitation practices as residents participated in the monthly National Sanitation Day exercise at the Kpone Laaloi Beach.
He emphasised that the beachfront remains both an important recreational site and a source of livelihood for fisherfolk and traders, making its cleanliness vital to public health and local economic development.
Speaking during the May edition of the clean-up exercise, Mr Morton urged residents to take collective responsibility for maintaining the environment, stressing that the Assembly alone cannot ensure cleanliness without public cooperation.
“The Kpone Laaloi Beach is not only a recreational centre but also a source of livelihood for many fisherfolk and traders in this municipality. It is therefore our shared responsibility as both the Municipal Assembly and residents to ensure the place is always kept clean,” he said.
He cautioned that the Assembly would intensify enforcement of sanitation by-laws against individuals who dump waste indiscriminately along the coastline, describing such behaviour as unacceptable in a modern society.
Mr Morton also appealed to community leaders to help change public attitudes toward waste disposal, noting that poor sanitation undermines development efforts.
The Municipal Environmental Health Officer, Mr George Freeman, reinforced the warning, stating that offenders would be sanctioned under existing by-laws.
He lamented the high cost of waste management, revealing that significant public funds are spent annually on clearing refuse from drains and open spaces.
“The money used in evacuating refuse could have been channelled into other developmental projects such as roads, schools and health facilities. We must stop this wasteful expenditure by adopting responsible waste management practices,” he said.
The exercise brought together assembly officials, environmental health personnel, youth groups and residents, who cleared plastic waste and debris along the beachfront as part of the nationwide initiative held on the first Saturday of every month to promote environmental cleanliness.
