The Obuasi Municipal Coordinating Director (MCD), Madam Joyce Akosua Angmorteh, has called on young people to take the lead in promoting environmental cleanliness and sustainable waste management to help address the municipality’s sanitation challenges.
She said the youth remained the greatest asset in the fight against poor sanitation because of their energy, creativity and ability to influence positive behavioural change within their communities.
Madam Angmorteh made the call after the successful conclusion of a two-day National Sanitation Exercise organised by the Obuasi Municipal Assembly.
She stressed that if young people embraced environmental responsibility and actively promoted proper sanitation practices, the municipality would witness a significant improvement in public health and environmental cleanliness.
The MCD commended The Cleanup Team, a youth-led volunteer sanitation group in Obuasi, for its dedication to improving the municipality’s environment.
She described the group as a model of civic responsibility and urged other youth groups to emulate its commitment to community service.
According to her, the volunteer group had, over the past few weeks, undertaken extensive desilting of major drains across the municipality, including heavily silted drainage channels that had become difficult to maintain.
During the sanitation exercise, members of the group cleared the drainage system at Kunka Junction, restoring its capacity after accumulated sand and refuse had obstructed the flow of water.
She added that similar interventions by the group at Mangoase and Gaosu had greatly improved sanitation in those communities, while acknowledging the support of the Assembly Member and Unit Committee at Gaosu for contributing to the success of the exercise.
As part of the municipality-wide clean-up campaign, personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service, the Ghana Prisons Service and the Ghana Immigration Service joined officials of the Assembly to undertake extensive cleaning and desilting activities.
The exercise covered major locations including the Horsey Park and Central Mosque enclave, Black Park and Kunka, where choked drains were cleared and refuse removed to improve environmental health and minimise the risk of flooding.
The operation was coordinated by Madam Angmorteh with support from the Municipal Environmental Health Unit headed by Mr. Evans Kumi.
Other officials of the Assembly who participated in the field exercise included the Finance Officer, Mr. Zakaria Yahaya; the Deputy Director of Administration, Madam Bertha Adu Koranteng; the Assistant Director of Administration, Mr. Henry Yeboah; the Information Officer, Mr. Ernest Kofi Offen; and the Store Keeper, Mr. John Arhin.
Although the exercise recorded a relatively low public turnout, some businesses complied with the Assembly’s directive by temporarily closing to enable the clean-up to take place.
Municipal authorities, however, indicated that enforcement measures would be taken against individuals and businesses that failed to comply with the sanitation directive.
According to the Assembly, those who disregarded the directive have been summoned to answer for their actions.
The Obuasi Municipal Assembly reaffirmed its commitment to enforcing environmental sanitation by-laws and urged residents to make cleanliness a daily habit rather than an occasional exercise.
