Kpone-Katamanso, other MMDAs observe 2026 World Environmental Health Day 

— The Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Assembly (KKMA), alongside other Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), has observed the 2026 World Environmental Health Day at Kpone in the Greater Accra Region. 

Mr Samuel Tetteh Kwashie Morton, Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), described the observance as important, particularly in the face of climate change and its associated challenges. 

Mr Morton said environmental health was directly linked to the survival and well-being of people, noting that the theme for the 2026 observance was “Environmental Health: Standing with Science to Protect Communities.” 

He emphasised the need for evidence-based and scientific approaches to protecting lives and communities. 

“The world is experiencing serious climate change effects: flooding, heat waves, poor air quality and emerging diseases. If we do not protect our environment, our health is at risk,” he said. 

He called on residents of Kpone-Katamanso to safeguard the environment and make it safe and habitable for all living creatures. 

Mr Morton urged households and businesses to practise proper waste segregation, desist from indiscriminate dumping, particularly into drains and lagoons, and support the assembly's sanitation efforts. 

He said the assembly was committed to strengthening environmental health services, improving waste collection and enforcing sanitation by-laws to ensure a clean and healthy municipality. 

“When the environment is healthy, the people are healthy. Prevention is cheaper than cure,” he said. 

Meanwhile, Mr George Freeman, Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Environmental Health Officer (MEHO), said protecting the environment was a shared responsibility and required the involvement of every individual. 

“Protecting the environment is not the duty of the Assembly alone. It is a shared responsibility. Humans must at all times conserve their environment and make it habitable,” he said. 

Mr Freeman said environmental health encompassed safe drinking water, safe food in markets, proper waste management, clean air, and healthy homes and workplaces. 

According to him, preventable diseases such as cholera, typhoid and malaria could be associated with poor environmental conditions, and he called for attitudinal change among residents. 

Mr Freeman appealed to residents to apply scientific approaches in their daily activities by testing their water sources, checking the wholesomeness of food sold in markets and managing waste properly. 

World Environmental Health Day is observed on September 26 each year to raise awareness of the relationship between environmental conditions and human health.

GNA