Sanitation Condition At Agona West Worsens

The sanitation situation in the Agona West Municipality, especially Agona Swedru has gone from bad to worse and this has compelled authorities and Zoomlion Ghana limited to hire tip- trucks to empty piled-up refuse.

For over two weeks, now Zoomlion Ghana Limited has not been able to collect refuse from container sites and the residents have no option than to dump them on the ground as the containers have been filled.

This sad situation which could lead to an outbreak of cholera and other communicable diseases has forced the assembly and Zoomlion Ghana Limited to bring in trucks from outside the Municipality to collect piled refuse.

Sources close to the Agona West Municipal Assembly and Zoomlion Ghana who failed to disclose their identities, told the media that the only option to clear the piled rubbish was to hire trucks from outside.

The sources said trucks belonging to Zoomlion Ghana limited in the area have broken down and cannot be used to do the work.

Meanwhile, the residents of Agona Swedru have boycotted the monthly National Sanitation clean-up exercise with the reason that the assembly was doing little to solve the sanitation problem in the Municipality.

The exercise which started from the Swedru Chapel Square and ended at Swedru Sports Stadium saw few participants de-silting choked gutters and sweeping main streets.

Since the inception of the monthly exercise in 2015 by the previous government, the effort has helped ensure that the District, Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies team-up with other stakeholders to tidy cities and urban areas.

Formerly, the exercise was fully participated by the Police personnel, Ghana National Fire Service, Ghana Immigration Service, market women, keep fit clubs, and civil society to help reduce unclean environment.

The chiefs, heads of families, youth clubs and other stakeholders in environmental health and sanitation come together to ensure the sustainability of the famous national sanitation day clean-up exercise.

The last Saturday's exercise was attended by the skeleton staff of Agona West Municipal and Zoomlion Ghana Limited including only three out of 16 Assembly Members in Agona Swedru.

Mr Ofori Amanfo, Assemblyman for Yaabem North, told media that the assembly members at Agona Swedru have been neglected by the authorities of the assembly.

He said the assembly has failed to provide them with requisite tools and materials to undertake the clean-up exercise in their communities, adding that 'we love to see to it that every day is declared as National Sanitation Day as was proclaimed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to whole Ghanaians inn last year'.

He said assembly members are eager to collaborate with the Agona West Assembly and other stakeholders to keep the towns and villages clean.