Cape Coast: Mr. Ekow Panyin Eduamoah, Central Regional Minister, has announced that Cape Coast and Winneba will commemorate this Independence Day with a march against poor sanitation. He stated that the event would involve massive clean-up exercises in both cities, alongside a protest targeting harmful behavioral practices to promote better sanitation.
According to Ghana News Agency, this initiative is a practical response to combat the ongoing cholera outbreak affecting the two coastal cities. The planned activities also align with the government's decision to moderately celebrate this year's Independence Day. Minister Eduamoah announced these plans during a visit to various communities in Cape Coast to evaluate the sanitation conditions amid the outbreak.
During his visit, Mr. Eduamoah also stopped by the Cape Coast Metro Hospital to check on cholera patients at the treatment center. His tour revealed concerning sanitation issues throughout several communities, including open defecation and severely clogged gutters, particularly in densely populated areas like Brofoyedur and Amanful. It was found that many households had improperly connected their toilet facilities to these open gutters, which were filled with silt and plastic waste.
Additionally, the seashore had become a makeshift dumping ground and defecation area, exacerbating the filth, mainly composed of plastic waste. The dire situation is further aggravated by a severe water shortage. The Minister and his team witnessed individuals cooking and selling food beside gutters brimming with waste.
In response to these findings, Mr. Eduamoah expressed shock and urged for immediate measures to mitigate the situation and prevent further spread of cholera. He voiced concerns about the economic repercussions of the outbreak and its impact on the government's development plans.
To address the acute water shortage, Mr. Eduamoah instructed the Metropolitan Assembly to use tankers to supply water to residents, which is expected to aid in fighting the cholera outbreak. He also appealed to religious institutions, including churches and mosques, to integrate cleanliness and behavioral change into their teachings to bolster efforts against cholera. "If we should leave the education and sensitisation to the environmental and sanitation departments and the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) alone, it won't get anywhere," he added.