A coalition of civic organisations and volunteers has embarked on a major clean-up exercise in Ho to reduce flood risks, with participants clearing choked drains and removing heaps of refuse while calling for stronger action against indiscriminate waste disposal.
The exercise, organised by the Rotaract Club of Ho in partnership with the Mawuleme Movement, and supported by the Rotary Club of Ho and the Environmental Health Unit of the Ho Municipal Assembly, focused on drains between Stadium Junction and Flats Junction after activities around the Ho Central Market were postponed because of market day.
Volunteers, including students from University of Health and Allied Sciences and Ho Technical University, spent several hours removing sand, plastic waste and other debris that had accumulated in the drainage system.
Project Director of the Rotary Club of Ho, Priscus Ackon, said the exercise was prompted by concerns that heavily silted drains could trigger flooding if left unattended during the rainy season.
He described the state of the drains as alarming, noting that large quantities of sand and waste were removed from only a short stretch, an indication that the drainage system had not been maintained for a long period.
Meanwhile, Convenor of the Mawuleme Movement, Prince Yao Amevi, expressed concern over widespread indiscriminate dumping, revealing that volunteers found household refuse, used baby diapers and even human waste hidden in overgrown roadside bushes.
He called for routine desilting of drains at least every three months and urged the Ho Municipal Assembly, the Department of Urban Roads and the Ghana Highways Authority to strengthen maintenance of drainage infrastructure.
As part of efforts to promote environmental responsibility, Mr Amevi announced that the Mawuleme Movement will launch a “Name and Shame Campaign” later this month to expose individuals and businesses that litter public spaces. He said photographs and locations of affected areas would be published on social media after community education campaigns.
Environmental Health Analyst at the Ho Municipal Assembly, Edem Degboe Gakpetor, said the clean-up forms part of ongoing measures to minimise flooding as the rainy season intensifies.
She commended the partner organisations for supporting the Assembly’s sanitation efforts and warned that anyone caught dumping refuse into drains would face prosecution under the Assembly’s sanitation regulations.
Mrs Gakpetor also reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment to enforcing its “Operation Clean Your Frontage” campaign, urging residents to take collective responsibility for keeping Ho clean and protecting the municipality from flooding.
