On Thursday the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) led by the Regional Minister embarked upon a de-silting exercise.
A feature of the exercise was the involvement of the Ayawaso West Wuogon, Ayawaso East and the Ayawaso North Assemblies including security personnel.
The RCC indeed coordinated the exercise but what next we may wish to ask?
Having been as it were, woken up to their responsibilities, albeit subtly, we wish to ask of the assemblies, not only the Ayawasos, but others to take up the subject of cleanliness of their environments seriously. With the appropriate bylaws unambiguously inscribed in the statute books, the enforcement of these are all that we need to effect positive changes in our relationship with the environments.
It was an exercise which saw the de-silting of the major drains of the national capital which pass through the Ayawasos.
It is important to note that the drains attended to during the exercise, account for the most of the floods in Accra.
Turning their attention to it was as a step in the appropriate direction by the RCC.
Consistency is of utmost importance in such assignments, an attribute which must be ensured otherwise the likelihood of returning to choked drains soon after the exercise, is a possibility.
The Metropolitan, Municipal, District Assemblies (MMDAs) have a major role to play in this direction. Indeed this role falls directly on their bosoms. A number of factors which account for their seeming inability to live up to expectation in this direction.
What the Greater Accra RCC has begun is a subtle wakeup call for the MMDAs in the region who should apply the relevant bylaws where necessary.
The issue of choked gutters or drains has been with us for long because of the absence of commitment from both the MMDAs and residents towards reversing the picture.
De-silting drains only for irresponsible residents to reverse the hands of the clock again is a painful reality. Unfortunately that is what happens in the nation’s capital and elsewhere in the country.
Environmental indiscipline is responsible for the state of our drains and unless we educate residents of our urban areas especially Accra and instill the spirit of environmental discipline in them a merry-go-round choreography will be the feature of the nation’s capital.
It will be instructive to return to the de-silted drains to find out how much garbage has already returned to the place simply because residents could not care a hoot about their surroundings.
We are longing for the release of the Henry Quartey’s promised manual on getting the nation’s capital to work. It will be the first such document to be published that will address the myriad challenges facing the city of Accra. If only the entries in the publication will be allowed to be implemented without undue interference we should be on the path of success in the area of environmental discipline in Accra.
Another issue the RCC must look at is the covering of the drains. This would go a long way in stopping persons who see drains as alternatives to garbage containers.
The Regional Minister has promised engaging the clergy of both Christianity and Islam in the anti-filth war in Accra. That would work when undertaken side by side with the enforcement of bylaws.