Sanitation at Agona West worsens as assembly hires trucks to collect refuse

By James Esuon, GNA

Agona Swedru (C/R), Oct. 15, GNA – 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.

GNA

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