Okumkom (middle) with some residents
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Atwima Nwabiagya South, Wisdom Osei Boamah, popularly known as Okumkom, has spearheaded a massive clean-up exercise at Abuakwa and its surrounding communities as part of President John Dramani Mahama’s nationwide sanitation campaign following the recent floods that wreaked havoc in several parts of the country.
The exercise, which targeted flood-prone areas and choked drains, brought together officials of the Municipal Assembly, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), market women and residents to improve environmental sanitation and reduce the risk of future flooding.
Addressing the media after the exercise, Osei Boamah expressed appreciation to his colleague Municipal Chief Executives who joined him in the exercise, namely Gloria Opoku Gyamfi of the Wenchi Municipal Assembly and Siata Watara of the Jaman South Municipal Assembly.
He also commended NADMO officials, environmental health officers, assembly staff and members of the public for their commitment towards ensuring a cleaner municipality.
The MCE disclosed that he has directed NADMO and the Municipal Environmental Health and Sanitation Department to carry out routine inspections at markets and other public places while intensifying the enforcement of the Assembly’s sanitation by-laws.
According to him, about 30 persons who failed to participate in the clean-up exercise and were found to have accumulated refuse in their surroundings have been summoned by the Assembly and will face the appropriate sanctions.
He stressed that the Assembly would not tolerate acts that undermine efforts to maintain a clean environment, warning that sanitation offenders would be prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others.
The Wenchi Municipal Chief Executive, Gloria Opoku Gyamfi, appealed to traditional authorities to support the enforcement of sanitation laws by allowing offenders to face the prescribed punishments instead of intervening on their behalf.
She urged residents to make cleanliness a daily responsibility by keeping their homes, markets and other public places clean to help prevent flooding and promote good public health.
FROM David Afum, Kumasi