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18.01.2013 Feature Article

Keeping Our Cities Clean: The Role Of The Patriotic Ghanaian

Keeping Our Cities Clean: The Role Of The Patriotic Ghanaian
18.01.2013 LISTEN

When it comes to nation building, we all have vital roles to play in order to help build a better Ghana and by so doing, we either pay a positive or negative price for them.

I would like to tackle a very important subject that has often been ignored by policy makers.

It simply has to do with the issue of the unhealthy state of sanitation conditions that has engulfed us.

Sanitation in Ghana remains a very big deal since it is a canker government after government have tried to marshal tactics to deal with the situation.

It is quite disgusting to say the least that a lot has been done but we are still wobbling in filth while vectors of environmental diseases continue to make us sick.

The wise saying that 'Cleanliness Is Next To Godliness,' is indeed far adrift the way we treat the environment.

This saying remains the environmental anthem of most Ghanaians and even Africans at large but we have failed to profess it.

Quite recently I seconded an article that was published on Ghanaweb of 15/01/13, which had the headline 'Ghana Loses $420million To Poor Sanitation Annually.'

This report was from the Water and Sanitation Programme of the World Bank.

The New York Times placed Accra at number 4 as one of the cities worth touring and the question I asked myself was what the criteria for these rankings was when as a matter of fact we are swimming and sleeping in rubbish and gutters.

The rural-urban migration is one of the main causes of poor sanitation in our cities, the more the people flood Accra, the more filth they create and our sanitation authorities are unable to manage or control our waste properly, leaving us with no choice competing with heaps of rubbish for space.

Another serious matter of interest is poor city planning which most often leads to slums developing in major commercial cities.

Places like Accra, Kumasi, Obuasi, Tarkwa and other commercial cities are suffering the dye consequences of poor sanitation due to improper planning.

1.6million people die from cholera and sanitation related diseases across the whole world which Ghana is no exception.

Recently there was a cholera outbreak in Obuasi which claimed some big deal of lives.

It was all related to polluted drinking water, choked gutters, poor waste disposal and poor hygiene.

The same can be said of the Achimota stench as a result of that refuse dump that is threatening lives.

I think it is high time we became patriotic and then play positive roles to impact positively on the environment.

We all have roles to play to keep Ghana clean and more worth touring; this campaign should not only be limited to the sole responsibility of Zoomlion or any other waste management company, but every well meaning Ghanaian who has the nation at heart.

Parents also have a key roles to play by raising their kids to be sanitation conscious.

Kids must be taught how to take personal hygiene seriously, by washing their hands before meals and after meals, washing hands after using the toilet, among other hygyiene practices.

For policy makers I think we should have proactive enforcement of waste management laws such that we stop these reactive measures we always put in place.

For how long are we going to chase hawkers on the streets?

We have KEEP THE CITY CLEAN inscriptions almost on all cans and foods we buy, but we forgo the caution and litter around indiscriminately.

Our own Dr. Kwame Nkrumah said 'WE SHOULD CHANGE OUR ATTITUDES' and it was seconded by the late vice Presdent H.E Alhaji Aliu Mahama, who went the extra mile to sponsor a KEEP THE CITY CLEAN CAMPAIGN! This was to curb nothing but the growing indiscipline in Ghana.

***Emmanuel Agyenfra Boateng (Freelance Journalist)***

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